Bar Council of Delhi allows female law interns to wear salwar kameez to courts

New Delhi: The Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) has said that female law interns will now be allowed to wear black and white salwar kameez, and not just white shirt with black tie, black pant and black coat, to courts.

BCD Chairman and senior advocate K.K. Manan told Bar & Bench that the issue raised is important and the amendment will be made on Monday itself so that female interns do not face any difficulty. "The issue raised is important. We will make sure that the amendment is made today itself so that female interns who are not comfortable wearing pant and shirt can go to court in Indian attire as well," Manan said.

After the Delhi High Court's order that directed the BCD to consult all bar associations in the national capital and reach a consensus on what uniform law interns should wear, the BCD had said on December 16, 2022 that the dress code for law interns will be white shirt with black tie, black pant and black coat.

It had also decided that it would be mandatory for all practicing advocates to wear neck bands and not a black tie, so that the law interns and advocates can be distinguished.

On December 1 last year, Justice Prathiba M. Singh had put a hold on Shahdara Bar Association's (SBA) November 24 decision of restricting interns from wearing black coats in Delhi's Karkardooma court, asking them to wear a white shirt, blue coat, and trousers from December 1 onwards.

In view of prescribing a consistent uniform for all interns, Justice Singh had asked the BCD to hold a meeting of all the bar associations in the national capital and other stakeholders to reach a consensus on what uniform law interns should wear.

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

The court had urged that a meeting be held and a common conclusion is arrived at after keeping in mind the Rules of Legal Education, 2008.

The SBA in its resolution had said that interns will not be allowed to attend courts if they fail to adhere to the prescribed dress code.