‘Too much heat’ hits Delhi courts, judges asked to let lawyers ditch robes

NEW DELHI – Soaring temperatures in India’s capital have proven to be too much for some courts and are putting to the test a law in place since 1961 that requires lawyers to wear heavy black robes and coats.

At least three High Courts have permitted lawyers to discard the robes and coats for the summer, and the Supreme Court is being urged to make it a general rule for all lawyers in the country.

Judges at one New Delhi court postponed a case this week until later in 2024, complaining about a lack of air-conditioning and water supply.

While India’s Supreme Court and most High Courts have air-conditioning, many Lower Courts and consumer forums depend on fans and have poor ventilation.

New Delhi recorded temperatures of around 50 deg C for the first time this week, forcing the authorities to restrict water supply, shut schools and set up heatstroke units at hospitals.

They have also deployed paramedics to polling stations for the final day of India’s massive general election on June 1, in case any voters fall ill as they queue in the heat. A 40-year-old labourer died of heatstroke on May 31.

The north-west of India has been experiencing high temperatures for several weeks. India’s Meteorological Department has predicted two or three times the usual number of heatwave days in the region in May, or days defined by abnormally hot weather.

For Delhi, that means sweltering temperatures that are affecting people across the city, including its legal system.

At a consumer court in the south-western district of Dwarka, which Reuters visited on May 30, judges presided over cases against insurance companies in a courtroom fitted with two non-functioning air conditioners. Ceiling fans and open windows offered the only respite from the weather.

Three of the court’s judges issued a written order this week stating they had declined to hear a case due to high temperatures in the courtroom. They adjourned the case until the cooler month of November.

“There is neither air-conditioner nor cooler in the courtroom... There is too much heat. There is no water supply even to go to the washroom to ease ourselves... In these circumstances, arguments cannot be heard,” the order said.

In 2021, India’s then Chief Justice said courts still operated “from dilapidated structures without proper facilities”, which was “severely detrimental” for both litigants and lawyers.

Delhi-based lawyer Shailendra Mani Tripathi has taken the matter to the Supreme Court, asking justices to change the decades-old dress code.

Black coats absorb more heat and endanger health, Mr Tripathi said in his filing, which the justices have yet to hear.

Forcing lawyers to wear them “is neither fair nor reasonable”, he said. REUTERS