Only lawyers can dress like lawyers: Gurgaon Bar Association issues strict dress code; fines up to Rs 5,000

GURGAON: If you thought pulling off a lawyer’s look was as simple as donning a white shirt and black trousers, think again. The Gurgaon Bar Association has drawn a sartorial line, threatening to slap a ₹5,000 fine on non-advocates who dare to dress in black and white within the district court premises.The crackdown comes after a series of incidents where clerks and touts were found dressed upin the traditional lawyers’ attire, causing confusion among litigants and even disrupting court proceedings.Under the new guidelines, only enrolled advocates and registered law interns will be permitted to sport the professional attire. For women practitioners, the dress code would extend to salwar suits and saris, in keeping with the Bar Council’s norms.“We’ve witnessed several cases where people exploited the lawyer’s dress code to mislead litigants and court officials. This prompted us to come out with the guidelines,” said Rahul Dhankhar, secretary of the Bar Association. Nikesh Raj Yadav, president of the association, said the rules aimed to “protect the dignity of legal profession and prevent misrepresentation”. “Increasing number of non-advocates wearing attire identical or similar to prescribed professional dress code has led to confusion, misidentification, and disruption in the court’s decorum,” he added.