Restrain CAT admin members from wearing judge's robe: Plea in HC

A lawyer has moved the Madras High Court seeking to restrain the administrative members of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) from sporting a judge's robe during hearings.

The petitioner has contended that according to the tribunal's rules, only a professional lawyer or a judge can sport such a robe and not such members, who are mostly IAS officers.

Admitting the PIL, a division bench of justices M Sathyanarayanan and N Seshasayee ordered notice to the Union law ministry, returnable by eight weeks.

According to petitioner N Kanagasabai, the CAT came to be established through the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985.

It was meant for speedy disposal of cases pertaining to the service matters of central government employees.

In December 1991, the then chairman of the tribunal's principal bench issued an order prescribing a dress code, which said CAT members, both judicial and administrative, can wear the same type of robe, which is nothing but the robe worn by the judges of the Supreme Court and high courts and designated senior advocates, the petitioner claimed.

He further contended that only a judicial member emerging from the judiciary can do so. However, in the instant case, the administrative members, who are civil servants and not from the judiciary, are permitted to sport the same robe.

Most administrative members neither hold a law degree nor are entitled to be enrolled as lawyers, the petitioner stated.

But unfortunately, these administrative members were permitted to wear robes, including neck bands and gowns of advocates, which is against the provisions of the Advocates Act and Bar Council Rules, he added.

The petitioner sought a direction to the law ministry to amend the present dress code appropriately.