On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to entertain a plea that sought relief for lawyers from having to wear black coats and gowns in the apex court or high courts during summer. The top court directed the petitioner to approach the Bar Council of India with its demand, leaving itself open to approach again should the plea not be heard. Black outer attire is mandatory for lawyers on the premises of our top court and high courts but optional in others. This distinction is presumably because a dress code is seen to dignify the higher judiciary and also convey a sense of lawyerly discipline. However, black absorbs heat like no other colour and is far too punishing in the high temperatures of Indian summers. The very fact that a waiver was asked for testifies to the discomfort lawyers have to put up with. Across the world, work attire has moved in the direction of pragmatism over ceremony, and there’s no reason for Indian practitioners of law to abide by old customs that achieve little apart from setting them apart visually. The dignity of legal processes is maintained best by the court-appropriate behaviour and conduct of all involved. This has nothing to do with outward appearances
