No ‘My Lord’ or ‘Your Lordship,’ please Justice K. Chandru

The hindu
MADURAI
No ‘My Lord’ or ‘Your Lordship,’ please
Justice K. Chandru. Photo: G. Moorthy
Justice K. Chandru. Photo: G. Moorthy | Photo Credit: G_Moorthy
Mohamed Imranullah S.
MADURAI 14 SEPTEMBER 2010 19:03 IST
UPDATED: 14 SEPTEMBER 2010 19:03 IST

For the first time since the establishment of the High Court Bench here, one of its judges had put up a notice board outside his court hall on Monday “requesting” the lawyers not to address him as ‘My Lord’ or ‘Your Lordship.’

The notice board hung outside Court Hall No.7 presided over by Justice K. Chandru read that the advocates need not use such honorific in his court in accordance with Chapter III A in Part IV of the Bar Council of India (BCI) Rules.

A copy of the Gazette of India (for the period between May 6 to 12, 2006) notifying the introduction of Chapter III A, made under Section 49(1)(j) of the Advocates Act, was also displayed for the reference of advocates.

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The Gazette read that the BCI had resolved to amend its Rules on April 9, 2006 as the words ‘My Lord’ and ‘Your Lordship’ were relics of colonial past.

Instead, it was decided to address Supreme Court and High Court judges as ‘Your Honour’ or ‘Honourable Court.’

The resolution further stated that it would be open to the lawyers to address presiding officers of subordinate courts and tribunals as ‘Sir’ or any other equivalent word in their respective languages.

The notification remained mostly on paper as a majority of the lawyers continued to follow the old practice.

The latest move of the judge to break the colonial tradition was welcomed by many young lawyers. “Superb, is it not?” one lawyer was heard asking another.

Last week, a former president of a Bar Association told the judge in the open court that it was difficult for the lawyers to give up the practice of addressing judges as My Lord.

To this, he replied: “No. I cannot accept it. Then, how do you change yourself while arguing cases before lower courts.”

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