Madras High Court judge D. Hariparanthaman, who was denied entry into a recreation club in Chennai on July 11, 2014, for wearing a dhoti, attended the Republic Day celebrations at the High Court Bench here on Monday, clad in white khadi shirt and dhoti.
The judge’s attire made him the cynosure of all eyes at the celebrations presided over by administrative judge S. Tamilvanan who hoisted the Tricolour and garlanded the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. Two other judges, C.S. Karnan and V.S. Ravi, also attended the fete.
R. Gandhi, an advocate practising in the High Court Bench, said Justice Hariparanthaman had created history by being the reason for the State government enacting the Tamil Nadu Entry into Public Places (Removal of Restriction on Dress) Act, 2014.
The Act made denial of entry into public places to those wearing dhoti as a cognisable offence punishable with imprisonment for a maximum of one year besides imposition of fine up to Rs 25,000.
Recalling that even former Supreme Court Judge V.R. Krishna Iyer had also been denied entry into a club once for wearing dhoti, Mr. Gandhi said then the legislature did not take serious note of the issue as it took in the case of Justice Hariparanthaman.
“Therefore, it is only befitting that the judge continues to sport a dhoti in every other public function. When the father of the nation, whose portraits find place prominently on the walls of the court halls, himself was clad in dhoti, I don’t understand why judges should not follow suit,” he added.
Justice Hariparanthaman is the second judge to attend the celebrations in the High Court Bench in dhoti after K. Chandru, who retired from service in March 2013.
