HC bench asks lawyers not to use 'my lord' to address them

Two judges of a High Court bench asked lawyers not to use the words "my lord" to address them.

The bench of Justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq instructed lawyers to use "your honour" or "sir" instead.

An official of the bench issued a notice in this regard today.

Contacted, Supreme Court's Appellate Division Registrar Mohammad Saifur Rahman told The Daily Star that he was unsure if there was any rule for addressing SC judges.

An HC source said lawyers have been using "my lord" to address SC judges since the British era and it is a tradition in most commonwealth countries.

There is no provision in the rules of the Appellate Division or the High Court Division for addressing judges as "my lord", according to the source.

The source said former chief justice Fazle Kaderi Mohammad Abdul Munim issued a notice on October 4, 1982 banning the use of the words "my lord". But the directive is not followed anymore.

There are 53 benches of the HC and three benches of the Appellate Division.