Punjab High Court Bar-Association Asked its Members not to Address Judges as My Lord

The Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association passed a resolution on 7 April 2011 asking its members not to address judges as my lord or your lordship. Instead, they should address them as sir or your honour.

The Punjab and Haryana high court became the second high court in India to pass this resolution. Earlier, Kerala High Court advocates’ association had passed a similar resolution in June 2007.
The Bar Council of India (BCI), had adopted a resolution in April 2006 and added a new rule

49(1)(j) in the Advocates’ Act according to which, lawyers can address the court as your honour. In case it is a subordinate court, lawyers should use term such as Sir. The Bar Council reasoned that words like My Lord and Your Lordship remind of the colonial past.

In October 2009, one of the judges of Madras High Court, Justice K Chandru banned the lawyers from addressing his court as my lord and your lordship which was an unprecedented move.