Source: indianexpress.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Rajasthan High Court order in the notification on 15th July said:\n \u201cTo honour the mandate of equality enshrined in the Constitution of \nIndia, the Full Court in its meeting dated 14.07.2019 has unanimously \nresolved to request the counsels and those who appear before the Court \nto desist from addressing the Hon\u2019ble Judges as \u2018My Lord\u2019 and \u2018Your \nLordship\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The expression \u201cYour Honour\u201d, however, remains unaffected by the order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Advocates Act of 1961, under section 49(1)(c), empowers the Bar Council of India to make rules on professional and etiquette standards to be observed by advocates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To address this issue, a Resolution by the Bar Council of India in \n2006 added Chapter IIIA to Part VI of the BCI Rules. The provision and \nits explanation read as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCHAPTER-IIIA3: To address the Court<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Consistent with the obligation of the Bar to show a respectful \nattitude towards the Court and bearing in mind the dignity of Judicial \nOffice, the form of address to be adopted whether in the Supreme Court, \nHigh Courts or Subordinate Courts should be as follows: \u201cYour Honour\u201d or\n \u201cHon\u2019ble Court\u201d in Supreme Court & High Courts and in the \nSubordinate Courts and Tribunals it is open to the Lawyers to address \nthe Court as \u201cSir\u201d or the equivalent word in respective regional \nlanguages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n EXPLANATION:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As the words \u201cMy Lord\u201d and \u201cYour Lordship\u201d are relics of a Colonial \npast, it is proposed to incorporate the above rule showing respectful \nattitude to the Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2014, a senior advocate filed a PIL with the Supreme Court asking \nthat the archaic expressions be banned. Judges HL Dattu and SA Bobde \nrejected the petition but said that the terms \u201cMy Lord\u201d and \u201cYour \nLordship\u201d had never been compulsory, and observed that they were relics \nof a colonial era. Calling it a \u201cnegative prayer\u201d, the bench remarked, \n\u201cWe only say call us respectfully\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n