'Is jeans and t-shirt proper dress code?' Chief Justice of Bombay High Court asks reporter

While hearing a petition on the recent doctors strike in Maharashtra on Monday afternoon, Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court Manjula Chellur asked whether there was a dress code that reporters covering the Bombay High Court should follow while attending court hearings. 

Looking at a reporter present in court to attend the hearing on the petition, she asked, “Is jeans and t-shirt a proper dress code?”

"How journalists come to court wearing jeans and T-shirt?" she asked. She then asked BMC advocate Suresh Pakale whether any such 'culture' was prevalent in 'Bombay', to which Pakale replied that there was not. 

Earlier during the hearing, the court had observed that reporters had "a responsible role" to play too. Chellur said that only written orders of the court, and not oral observations, must be reported in a responsible manner.

The court, however, did not pass any direction or guidelines on dress journalists should wear while covering court proceedings. This is for the first time that the high court has objected to the dress worn by journalists. 

Justice Chellur is the second woman to be appointed Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court after Justice Sujata Manohar in 1994. She will have a tenure as the court’s 41st Chief Justice till her retirement on December 4, 2017. She has previously served as Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, as well as of the Calcutta High Court. 

Born on December 5, 1955 in Bellary, Justice Chellur completed her Bachelor of Arts degree from Bellary College before joining Renukacharya Law College, Bengaluru to complete her LLB degree in
1977.

With inputs from PTI.