Soaring heat: women Kerala judges seek permission to wear churidar

Kochi: Women judicial officers have sought permission to wear churidars to cope with the summer heat while appearing in court. A hundred women judicial officers of the lower courts submitted a petition to the High Court Registrar as the temperatures soared to unbearable levels.

According to the existing dress code, women judges are required to wear a saree with a white collar band and a black gown. This dress code came into force on October 1, 1970. However, women judicial officers have demanded that the dress code should be revised in the face of changing weather and climate. A committee that decides on the revision of dress codes, consisting of High Court judges, will take a decision in this regard.

The women judicial officers submitted the petition pointing out that many courts function in cramped, air-tight rooms, and appearing in the current dress code in soaring temperatures is affecting their health.