Delhi HC stays Shahdara Bar Association circular prescribing uniform for law interns

New Delhi [India], December 1 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Thursday stayed the circular issued by the Shahdara Bar Association (SBA) of Karkardooma Court prescribing a new dress code for law interns.

The order came on a plea filed by a second-year law student challenging the circular.

The circular was issued last week, mandating interns to wear white shirt, blue coat and a trouser.

A single bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh stayed the SBA circular of November 24, asking the Bar Council to convene a meeting of all Bar Associations of Delhi High Court to arrive at a consensus on what dress should law interns wear. The court has also asked the Bar Council of India to join the meeting.

The bench said, "Considering the large number of interns, a uniform policy ought to be arrived at with the consent of all stakeholders. A consistent uniform should be prescribed because if different Associations prescribe different uniforms then the interns will be inconvenienced."

In his petition before the HC, second-year law student Hardik Kapoor said the SBA issued an impugned notice/circular on November 24.

It alleged that through the circular, an arbitrary and illegal restriction was imposed on interns with regard to the uniform that they wear while working in courts.

The petition moved through advocates Ujwal Ghai, Shivek Rai Kapoor, Sanchit Saini and Arpit Sharma, stated that according to the said notice/circular, interns were prohibited and restrained from wearing black coats and black trousers.

They have been asked to wear a white shirt, blue coat and trousers to distinguish them from practising lawyers, it said.

It further stated that the SBA passed such a resolution as it is difficult for general advocates to differentiate and distinguish between an advocate and an intern.

The plea further claimed that the SBA stated that the interns who fail to adhere to the prescribed dress code won't be allowed to attend the court sessions at Karkardooma. (ANI)

Source: National