The Allahabad High Court has been in the news for the wrong reasons over the last month and even before that. The High Court sentenced local lawyer Ashok Pande to six months' in jail in a 2021 contempt case for appearing in the court without a lawyer's gown and with his shirt unbuttoned.

Lawyers, who appear for their clients in all 25 high courts throughout India, are mandated to wear a black gown over their black coats and white bands with a white shirt. This is called a “uniform”.” Senior advocates, whom the high court designates under certain provisions of the Advocates’ Act, wear a different gown with a flap at the back and tiny bells on their sleeves, which distinguish them from the rest of the lawyer fraternity.

Senior advocates are not allowed to file their Vakalatnamas to represent clients but have to accept instructions from other advocates who brief them about which legal points to play up and which to gloss over so the best possible scenario for their clients is presented before the high courts, which generally are concerned with questions of law.

To return to the matter at hand, a division bench comprising Justices Vivek Chaudhary and B.R. Singh recently declared that "exemplary punishment is warranted" given the seriousness of the charges, Pande's past conduct, and his refusal to participate in the proceedings. The bench also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000, with an additional one-month jail term in case of non-payment of the fine.

Pande was given four weeks to surrender before the Chief........

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