Bombay High Court Chief Justice Manjula Chellur on Wednesday asked a leading daily's reporter whether wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt to court was part of 'Mumbai culture'
Justice Manjula Chellur
Bombay High Court Chief Justice Manjula Chellur on Wednesday asked a leading daily's reporter whether wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt to court was part of "Mumbai culture".
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Justice Chellur, along with Justice Girish Kulkarni, was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on the resident doctors' strike that followed assaults on medicos in civic- and state-run hospitals last week.
The chief justice told the journalists present in court that they should report only about the court orders and not about observations made during the process of hearing matters.
Then, she pointed out to a reporter in jeans and T-shirt standing to her left and asked, "Is this the way to come to court? There should be some decorum maintained. Is this Mumbai's culture?"
Previous instances
There are two known instances of courts - the Supreme Court and the Kerala High Court - issuing specific instructions for accreditation of journalists, including wearing "modest clothes and sober clothes".
In 2015, media professional Priya Pathiyan was denied entry to the Bombay High court's sesquicentennial anniversary, allegedly because she was wearing a sleeveless shirt.
Notification explanation
Security officers also pointed to a September 7, 2011, notification issued by the prothonotary and senior master for the court. It reads: 'I am directed by way of abundant precaution so as to keep a thorough check on unsocial activities by any unscrupulous elements entering the High Court premises; instruction be, therefore issued forthwith to all security guards deployed at various entrances... to allow those visitors and litigants who are wearing modest dresses and in sober colour'.
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