india

Updated: Apr 04, 2019 23:28 IST

An Allahabad high court registrar’s note has directed the court staff to “pay the highest respect” to the judges and stop whenever they see them walking past in the court gallery.

The notice on Wednesday warned the staff that “any deviation in this regard will be viewed seriously”.

“It has often been noticed that while Hon’ble judges pass through [sic] the galleries for sittings in the court and also retiring to their lordship’s chambers, the officials/officers passing in the way [sic] do not stop to wait for the Hon’ble judges to cross them [sic], which is clearly an act of disrespect,’’ the registrar said.

“It is therefore directed that the officials/officers while passing through [sic] the galleries meant for the movement of the Hon’ble judges shall stop whenever they see that the Hon’ble judges are passing through [sic] the galleries and pay the highest respect to their Lordships.”

As per the tradition, everyone would stop as a mark of respect to judges whenever they walked past for court sittings or retiring to their chambers, the registrar noted.

“However, of late it has been noticed by the high court administration that this graceful tradition is being ignored,’’ read the order. It called this “a clear case of disrespect to judges”.

Lawyer Sujan Singh Chauhan said, “Officers of high court must give due respect to judges and there is nothing wrong in passing such a direction.”

The Supreme Court has remarked that judges should be addressed in courts in “a respectful and dignified manner”.