Supreme Court refuses to entertain plea seeking exemption for lawyers from wearing black coats during summer

Supreme Court. File Pic

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking exemption for lawyers from wearing black coats and gowns in the apex court as well as high courts across the country during summer. A bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and V Ramasubramanian said it cannot entertain the plea under Article 32 and asked the petitioner to approach the Bar Council of India (BCI) with his grievance.

The top court also granted liberty to lawyer Shailendra Mani Tripathi to approach the top court again if the BCI does not act on his plea.

The petitioner withdrew the plea and the matter was dismissed as withdrawn. Senior advocate Vikas Singh appeared for the petitioner.

The plea has sought a direction to state bar councils to amend their rules and decide the time period when lawyers would be exempted from wearing black coats and gowns depending upon the fact as to when the summer peaks in the particular state.

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Wearing coats during torrid summer makes it difficult for lawyers to move from one court to another, it said.

Lawyers' dress code is governed by the Bar Council of India Rules under the Advocates Act, 1961, and they make it mandatory for an advocate to wear a black coat with a white shirt and a white neckband.

Under the rules, wearing an advocate's gown is optional except when the lawyer is appearing in the Supreme Court or in a high court.

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