In a courtroom moment that left little room for sympathy, the Delhi High Court levied a ₹5,000 penalty on the legal representative of Congress spokesperson Dr. Shama Mohamed—simply for walking into court without doing their homework.
The case, a defamation suit targeting BJP’s Sanju Verma over remarks made during a television debate, had already seen fireworks in earlier hearings. Back in November, the court ordered the removal of Verma’s derogatory posts from social media, noting they were “demeaning.” But by July 8, the drama shifted focus—not to the core of the defamation issue, but to the preparation, or lack thereof, by Mohamed’s counsel.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, unimpressed by the attempt to seek another delay, questioned the logic behind the excuse that the matter was also listed before the registrar in late August. The Judge didn’t mince words: the adjournment plea made no sense when the case had been expressly scheduled for hearing.
“The Court fails to understand,” the Bench remarked dryly, before handing down the monetary penalty—ordering that the ₹5,000 be paid directly to Verma.
This fine came after Mohamed’s side had already been granted a “final opportunity” in May to respond to Verma’s legal applications under Order VII Rules 10 and 11, which sought to reject the suit altogether. When that deadline arrived, the court found itself once again facing delays.
An apology was offered by Mohamed’s counsel, citing a misunderstanding. It didn’t change much. The judge granted an adjournment—but not without making the cost of poor preparation clear.
Representing Dr. Shama Mohamed were Advocates Eesha Bakahi and Gurbani Bhatia, while Sanju Verma’s legal team included Raghav Awasthi, Simran Brar, and Tanya Lal.
