Jammu, March 4 -- Last week, the Supreme Court took exception to a petitioner addressing the judges as 'Your Honour', and reminded that it was the way judges were addressed in the US Supreme Court.

"When you say Your Honour, you either have the Supreme Court of the United States or the Magistrate in mind," Chief Justice of India S A Bobde, heading a three-judge bench, said, as the petition by a law student seeking the court's intervention in ensuring that judicial vacancies were filled up to tackle case backlog came up for hearing.

Colonial hangover

Well, the 'learned' Chief Justice of India's objection is valid but it'd have been better had he suggested, like the legendary Chief Justice of India M C Chagla: "The moment a lawyer, petit...