Don't call us 'Your Honour', it's not US Supreme Court, SC tells law student

CJI Bobde termed the student's use of 'Your Honour' over 'Your Lordship' as 'inappropriate'

The Supreme Court Tuesday cautioned a law student not to address the judges as “Your honour” as it was not the “US Supreme Court”.

“When you call us ‘Your Honour’ it appears that you have the US Supreme Court in mind,” a bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian told the law student.

He immediately apologised to the bench and said that he would address the court as “Your Lordship”.

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To this, CJI Bobde said: “Whatever, but don't use inappropriate terms”.

The bench told him that in the US Supreme Court and in magisterial court here, the court can be addressed as “Your honour” but not in Indian Supreme Court.

The bench then asked him what his case was, to which the student, who appeared in-person, said that his plea seeks that infrastructure of the judiciary on the criminal jurisdiction side be strengthened.

The bench told him that does he know that there is already a matter pending in the Supreme Court in which directions have been passed to strengthen the infrastructure of judiciary right up to subordinate judiciary level in a phased wise manner.

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The law student feigned ignorance after which the bench said that it appears that he has not done his homework before approaching the court.

It told the petitioner that there is a pending case titled as Malik Mazhar Sultan versus UPSC in which directions have been issued to the Centre, different state governments and High Courts for strengthening of infrastructure right up to subordinate judiciary level.

The bench adjourned the matter for four weeks and asked the student to come prepared on the next date of hearing.