Sir Would Suffice, Avoid ‘Your Honour’ Or ‘My Lord’: Orissa HC Chief Justice

Cuttack: The advocates can use ‘sir’ instead of using ‘My Lord’, ‘Your lordship’, ‘Your honour’ while addressing the judges, said a bench consisting of Orissa High Court comprising Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice RK Pattnaik.

“All counsel and parties-in-person are requested to try and avoid addressing the judges of this bench as ‘My Lord’, ‘Your Lordship’, ‘Your Honour’ or with the prefix ‘Hon’ble’. Any other form of address, consistent with the decorum of the court, including ‘Sir’ should suffice,” stated a note by HC bench.

A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice RK Pattnaik, stated in a note that “All Counsel and parties-in-person are requested to try and avoid addressing the judges of this bench as ‘My Lord’, ‘Your Lordship’, ‘Your Honour’ or with the prefix Hon’ble”.

It may be mentioned that former Chief Justice Of India Sharad Arvind Bobde had earlier spoken out against the use of the word “Your Honour”.

During his career as the judge in other high courts in the country, Justice Muralidhar too has been urging the lawyers not to use the terms such as ‘My Lord’ or ‘Your Lordship’ in their address.

Even then then Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Justice Thottathil B Nair Radhakrishnan had made the appeal.