SC wants dignified way of addressing

“We want only a dignified way of addressing the court. It does not matter if you call us Sir, Your Honour, My Lord or Your Lordship,” the Supreme Court said on Monday.

A bench of justices H L Dattu and S A Bobde declined to allow a PIL seeking direction to do away with the colonial system, saying that it was for counsels to decide how to address the court.

Advocate Shiv Sagar Tiwari had approached the Supreme Court, seeking direction to all judges in the apex court, high courts and other judicial fora not to accept addresses like “My Lord” and “Your Lordship”.

He submitted that Lord Macaulay, credited with introducing the English education system, intended to replace an indigenous system to make Indians slaves.

Arguing his case, he pointed out that the Bar Council of India had passed a resolution that nobody would address courts that way. The resolution was published in an official gazette on May 6, 2006. But, it was not followed.

“It is for the learned counsels to address the court in the way they decide to. We want a respectable way of addressing the court. How can we say don’t address us as Your Lordship?” the bench said. “Can we direct our brother judges not to accept Your Lord, as it is obnoxious?”