HP HC Slams Woman Govt Employee For Appearing Before It In ‘Multi-Coloured Check Shirt & Jeans’ [Read Order]

Immensely displeased with a lady government servant appearing before it in a ‘multi-coloured check shirt and jeans’, a division bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court set down to express its displeasure while reiterating that all “litigants, more particularly, government officers and officials should be dressed, if not formally, at least appropriately or else they may start dressing more indiscreetly”.

The division bench of Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Ajay Mohan Goel was disquieted by the inappropriate dress of a junior engineer who had appeared in person for a hearing. What the bench found more appalling was her admission that she discharges her official duties dressed in a similar fashion.

“We notice that respondent No.6, who has appeared in person and is a Junior Engineer, is not appropriately dressed. She is wearing a multi-coloured check shirt and jeans. What is more appalling is when she informed the court that she even discharges her official duties wearing only these kinds of dresses,” the bench said.

“It is high time that we reiterate that litigants appearing before this court, more particularly government officers and officials should be dressed, if not formally, then atleast appropriately or else they may start dressing more indiscreetly,” the court said in its order which was sent to the Chief Secretary for issuing instructions to all government officials.

The judges borrowed from a judgment from the Allahabad High Court to say that, “Every litigant appearing before the court is expected to be dressed in a modest manner so as to maintain decorum. However, of late there has been lamentable slackness in matters of litigants’ attire, more particularly, government officers and officials appearing before this court and this only (to borrow the words of Allahabad High Court in Prayag Das vs Civil Judge, Bulandshahr AIR 1974 Allahabad 133) precipitates sartorial inelegance and judicial indecorum and undermines the majesty of law”.

Invoking Shakespeare who once said, ‘Apparel oft proclaims the man’, the division bench said, “In a democratic polity, the role of the judiciary is to maintain and stabilise the rule of law, which is essential in successful functioning of the democracy. The Judges and Magistrates play a pivotal role in the administration of justice and that is why they wear specific dress prescribed by the Rules framed by the High Court. This dress is worn compulsorily in order to maintain the dignity and decorum of the Court and, therefore, we see no reason why any litigant, more particularly, Government officers and officials should be improperly or inappropriately dressed while appearing before the Court. After all being appropriately dressed only induces a seriousness of purpose and a sense of decorum which is highly conducive for the dispensation of justice.”

It also quoted a conversation between an Australian squatter and his friend, who visited him on his estate far away in the wilds of the interior of the estate. The friend asked him why, in so remote a place he made it a practice to ‘dress’ for dinner. “I do it,” said the squatter, “to avoid losing my self-respect. If I did not dress for dinner, I should end by coming in to dinner in my shirt-sleeves. I should end by not troubling to wash. I should sink down to the level of the cattle. I dress for dinner, not to make myself pretty, but as a spiritual renovation”.

On Friday, the Chief Secretary issued an advisory asking all government servants/ officials to dress appropriately in formal, clean, modest and sober clothes which should not look gaudy.

He asked one and all to follow the same in letter and spirit.