Traditional Coats, Gowns Not Required In Lower Courts

From now amid severe heat the judges and lawyers of subordinate courts are not required to wear black coats and gowns, the Supreme Court administration has said. The order issued by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan will remain in force until further notice, a Supreme Court statement, signed by High Court Division Registrar General Md Golam Rabbani, said on Thursday.

It said judges and lawyers of subordinate and criminal courts and tribunals will put on white full-sleeve shirts or white saree/salwar kameez with white neckband or black tie, reports bdnews24.com.

Amid the heatwave, several Supreme Court lawyers on Thursday appealed to the chief justice seeking separate dress codes for summer and winter.

Lawyers have been frustrated with the obligation to wear dresses that are not comfortable in summer.

The death of a lawyer in 2011 angered them. They were freed from the ‘agony’ of black coats and gowns after another lawyer died of heat stroke in Dhaka on May 11 last year.