A Supreme Court judge has expressed displeasure at being repeatedly addressed as “My Lord” and “Your Lordships” by legal professionals during courtroom periods. Justice PS Narasimha, who was sitting on the bench with senior presiding judge Justice AS Bopanna, advised a senior advocate that he would give him his half of the salary if the latter stops referring to him as “My Lord.”
“How many times you will say ‘My Lords’? If you stop saying this, then I will give you half of my salary,” Justice Narasimha advised the lawyer during the hearing of a daily matter on Wednesday. Why do not you use ‘Sir’ as a substitute,” he added. Justice Narasimha additional stated that he will begin counting as to what number of occasions the senior lawyer uttered the expression “My Lords”.
The observe of calling ‘My Lord’ or ‘Your Lordships’
During arguments in courts, legal professionals typically confer with judges as “My Lord” or “Your Lordships”. However, these against the observe typically name it a colonial-era relic and an indication of slavery. In 2006, the Bar Council of India had handed a decision deciding no advocate would deal with judges as “My Lord” and “Your Lordship” but it surely was not adopted in observe.
Earlier in 2013, a petition was filed within the apex courtroom looking for a ban on the use of “My Lord” or “Your Lordships” in courts, calling it a relic of the colonial period and an indication of slavery. A PIL was filed by a senior lawyer looking for the highest courtroom’s route to strictly prohibit the use of “My Lord” or “Your Lordships” within the courts all through India alleging that “it is against the dignity of the country.”
What SC acknowledged on this matter in 2024?
A yr later in 2014, the Supreme Court acknowledged that judges must be addressed in courts in a respectful and dignified method and it isn’t obligatory to name them “my lord”, “your lordship” or “your honour”. “When did we say it is compulsory. You can only call us in a dignified manner,” a bench comprising justices HL Dattu and SA Bobde noticed during the hearing of a petition which stated addressing judges as “my lord or your lordship” in courts is a relic of the colonial period.
(With PTI inputs)
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