In a notification, the acting chief justice of Calcutta High Court, T S Sivagnanam, stated that due to the prevailing weather conditions, lawyers will not be required to wear black gowns in court until the next regular session of the HC after the summer vacation in June 2023.
In response to the requests of numerous advocates and senior advocates citing the ongoing heat waves, the acting Chief Justice has issued an order allowing the lawyers to be exempt from wearing gowns.
The secretary of the Incorporated Law Society, Paritosh Sinha, has written to the acting Chief Justice, requesting an exemption. According to Sinha, the heat and humidity are causing immense hardship to lawyers.
The registrar-general of the HC stated in the notification that the acting CJ has given a directive regarding the exemption of wearing advocates’ gowns. The notification takes into account the prevailing weather conditions and will remain in effect until the court reopens after the summer vacation in June 2023.
Lawyers in Delhi High Court and Rajasthan High Court, among other places with severe summers, have reportedly been exempted from wearing robes and gowns during this season, per legal professionals.
