Rajasthan HC asks lawyers to not use 'my lord' while addressing judges
A notice issued by Rajasthan high court said the decision was unanimously taken'You can only call us in a dignified manner...Don't address us as 'lordship', the bench had
New Delhi: The Rajasthan High Court on Monday asked lawyers to stop the practice of addressing judges as “my lord" and “your lordship".
A notice issued by Rajasthan high court said the decision was unanimously taken in a full court meeting on 14 July to “honour the mandate of equality enshrined in the Constitution."
"To honour the mandate of equality enshrined in the Constitution of India, the Full Court in its meeting dated 14.07.2019 has unanimously resolved to request the counsels and those who appear before the Court to desist from addressing the Hon’ble Judges as ‘My Lord’ and ‘Your Lordship’."
A bench of justices H.L Dattu and S.A Bobde in a public interest litigation in 2014 had observed that judges should be addressed in courts in a respectful and dignified manner, but it was not compulsory to call them "my lord", "your lordship" or "your honour."
"When did we say it is compulsory? You can only call us in a dignified manner...Don't address us as “lordship". We don't say anything. We only say address us respectfully," the bench had then said.
The Bar Council of India in 2006 had passed a resolution prohibiting the usage of such terms which are "a relic of the colonial past."
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