All rise! She walked in, slammed the gavel and declared court open

On Friday morning, a woman named Vandana Gupta entered the District Judge’s courtroom at the Varanasi District Court. She sat in the judge’s chair, looked through official case files, banged the gavel several times, and claimed to be the presiding judge. She told the lawyers to call witnesses and present evidence, saying she would handle the day’s hearings.

This happened while the District Judge was on leave, revealing serious security gaps in one of Uttar Pradesh’s busiest courts. Vandana Gupta, who lives in Shivpur, Varanasi, and is married to Buj Gupta, first asked about the judge’s arrival. She then went to the judge’s dais, where staff had already placed the day’s case files. After sitting in the judge’s chair, she looked through the files, banged the gavel several times, shouted “Order! Order!” and confronted anyone who came near.

Eyewitnesses and reports say she declared, “Today, I am the District Judge. Present the witnesses and evidence before me. I will hear all the cases.” She told everyone to stay seated and refused to leave the chair, even after being asked several times. Some lawyers filmed her on their phones, which made her more upset. The situation caused panic in the courtroom. Reports vary on how long it lasted; some say the most disruptive part was about five minutes, while others say she stayed in the chair and kept up the act for nearly an hour until police arrived around 9 a.m.

As the situation escalated, police were called. Female officers entered the courtroom, helped her down from the dais, and took her into custody. She was taken to Cantt Police Station for questioning and a medical check. Officials said they are looking into her mental health as part of the investigation. Additional District Judge Yajuvendra Vikram Singh arrived soon after and expressed concern about the lack of security at the courtroom entrance. He asked for a detailed report on the incident. Court authorities have now told security staff at all entry gates to stop Vandana Gupta from entering the premises.

Local lawyers confirmed that Vandana Gupta has no pending cases in the Varanasi court. They also mentioned that she had entered the court complex several times before and had similarly sat in the judge’s chair. The reason for her actions on Friday remains unknown, as do the events inside the Varanasi District Court complex.

How an unauthorised person was able to access a restricted area, reach the judge’s dais, and handle official case files has become a major talking point.

Videos of the incident, showing Vandana Gupta on the bench giving orders and banging the gavel, have gone viral on social media. As of Friday evening, she is still in police custody at Cantt Police Station. No formal FIRs or charges have been confirmed yet, but authorities are looking into possible offences, including trespass and disruption of court proceedings. More details are expected as the investigation continues. The incident points out weaknesses in court security, especially when judges are on leave.