A PIL has been filed in the Allahabad High Court to challenge the High Court circular through which black gowns/coats were made mandatory for lawyers appearing before it.
The petitioner, Ashok Pandey, further sought a direction for the Bar Council of India to frame rules prescribing dress code for advocates considering the weather in the country.
The petitioner is an advocate, who is also the president of Hindu Personal Law Board and chairman of Global Human Rights Organizations.
The petitioner states that India is a tropical country having high temperature for a whole year and asking an advocate to wear a coat, gown, and necktie cannot be said to be a proper dress for a whole year. It is further stated that the petitioner follows Sanatana Dharma and is having objection in wearing the band for its reason being a symbol of Christianity and being worn by church priests.
The petitioner also states his personal experience when he was appearing before the Lucknow bench of Justice Rituraj Awasthi and Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh at Allahabad High Court who asked him to wear black coat otherwise his case will be dismissed. The petitioner, however, showed them the BCI circular about the exemption in dress code due to summer, upon several requests of hearing or adjournment the bench denied it and the petitioner had to wear some other advocates court.
The petitioner also states that “wearing white sari/ salwar kameej is symbol of widow ladies as per the Hindu Culture and tradition, so there is no application of mind on the part of Bar Council of Bharat while making the rule impugned.”
Lawcutor 