Delhi high court stays circular by bar association on dress code for law interns

A second-year law student moved the high court with his counsel stating that the instant circular is in violation of BCI and BCD rules. The plea said the dress code would cause unnecessary financial burden on interns, who are working without any stipend or only with a meagre stipend.

The Delhi high court on Thursday stayed a circular released by the Shahdara Bar Association (SBA) which had fixed a dress code for law interns, and asked the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD), Bar Council of India (BCI) and other bar associations to conduct a meeting to suggest a uniform dress code for the interns.

The SBA had passed a resolution, restricting interns from wearing black coats in Delhi’s Karkardooma court and asking them to follow a dress code for interns prescribed by the association. (HT Archive)

On November 24, the SBA had passed a resolution, restricting interns from wearing black coats in Delhi’s Karkardooma court and asking them to follow a dress code for interns prescribed by the association -- a white shirt, black trousers and a blue coat -- from December 1 to distinguish them from lawyers.

Challenging the circular, Hardik Kapoor, a second-year law student, moved the high court, with his counsel stating that the instant circular is in violation of BCI and BCD rules. The plea said the dress code would cause unnecessary financial burden on interns, who are working without any stipend or only with a meagre stipend.

During the hearing, justice Prathiba M Singh said considering the large number of interns in district courts and the high court, a uniform policy should be arrived at by all concerned stakeholders so that the interns can wear a uniform which is fairly distinguishable from those worn by lawyers.

Fixing a meeting of bar associations for December 12, the court said that a “consistent uniform should be prescribed for the interns in as much as that if separate bar associations start prescribing uniforms, the interns would be clearly inconvenienced”.

“Accordingly, Chairman BCD may call for a meeting of all the concerned stakeholders and BCI will also be present in the said meeting to evolve consensus as to what could be the uniform that interns should wear in court premises in Delhi. Such consensus should be arrived at after bearing in mind, Rule 27 of the Rule of Legal Education Act… In the meantime, the circular of Shahdara Bar Association shall remain stayed,” the court said in its verbal order.

The matter will next be heard on February 23.