Covid-19 impact: SC may do away with robes for judges, lawyers
New Delhi, May 13: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would soon issue directions to judges and advocates to appear before the court without robes for the time being to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
During a hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal requested to know why the bench comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde and Justice Indu Malhotra were not following the dress code, The Mint reported.
The Chief Justice said they have heard that jackets and gowns “make it easier to catch virus”, hence orders would be issued soon to alter the dress code of judges and lawyers.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was seen appearing before the bench without the advocates gown in the next case hearing.
Post the hearing of only ‘urgent matters’ for two months, the apex court on Wednesday, while hearing a bail application in the court room, said it shall hear the matter when “video-conferencing hearings begin on a large scale”.
The judges had been taking up cases through video conferencing from home, but on Tuesday the bench was seen hearing matters from the court rooms at Supreme Court.
Justice L Nageshwar Rao, heading the three-judge bench, told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the apex court was running a pilot and from next week the judges will take up cases sitting in the court rooms and advocates shall argue the matters sitting in their chambers through video conferencing.
The top court had been hearing cases only through video conferencing since 24 March.
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