Advocates appearing in the lower courts of Kerala will have to put up with their stuffy uniform during the summer months as their decades-old dress code will remain unchanged.
Though the Administrative Committee of the Kerala High Court met on Saturday, “there was no occasion for the committee to consider amendments to the Kerala High Court Rules on the dress code of lawyers,” according to judicial sources.
Incidentally, a Single Judge of the Kerala High Court had on last week permitted a lawyer from Thiruvananthapuram to appear before a court in the district without a gown. Since the question of amending the rules related to dress code of advocates didn’t come up for the consideration of the committee, the dress code prescribed in the Kerala High Court Rules will continue. Lawyers will have to appear in their full attire in the courts and tribunals as before, sources said.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) had earlier exempted lawyers from wearing black coat while appearing in courts except in the Supreme Court and the High Court during summer months. Going by the relaxed dress code, lawyers could appear in white shirt with black, white, stripped or grey pants with black tie or band and collar during summer.
Though the BCI has prescribed a dress code for lawyers, according to judicial sources, the rules framed by the Kerala High Court regarding the dress code will prevail over it in Kerala. The BCI dress code would be applicable only in the courts in the States where the High Courts have not passed any rules on the uniform of lawyers, sources said.
The Kerala High Court Rules specify that advocates other than lady advocates shall wear a black buttoned-up coat (chapkan, achakan or sherwani) Barrister’s or Bachelor of Laws’ gown and bands or black open collar coat, white shirt, stiff or soft white collar Barrister’s or Bachelor of Laws’ gown and bands.
For lady advocates, regional dress of subdued colour with Barrister’s or Bachelor of Laws’ gown, stiff or soft white collar and bands have been prescribed.
It is estimated that there are around 25,000 lawyers, who are active in the legal profession in the State including those appearing in the centrally air-conditioned Kerala High Court.
According to P.T. Jose, the president of the Ernakulam Bar Association, which has a membership of over 4,000 lawyers, a large number of lower courts in the State function from old and ill-ventilated buildings. It is an exhausting affair to be in the full attire in these crammed court rooms with poor infrastructure facilities, for long, especially during summer months, he added.