The High Court of Allahabad is examining the protocol surrounding the use of the term “Honourable” in official communications concerning officials of the Uttar Pradesh government, prompted by a case in which the Kanpur divisional commissioner was referred to as the “Honourable Commissioner” by the collector of Etawah.
The Court has noted that in official correspondences, there is a regular reference to different ranks of state officials with the word “Honourable” prefixed with their names.
Hearing a writ petition filed by one Krishna Gopal Rathore, Justice J J Munir said, “Let the principal secretary, revenue apprise this court, on an affidavit, if there is any protocol about officials of the state who are entitled to … have the word ‘Honourable’ prefixed along with their designations or names.”
“This court is well aware that the word ‘Honourable’ is to be certainly prefixed in the case of ministers & other sovereign functionaries, but we are not aware if the same holds good for secretaries serving the state government,” the Court observed.
It added, “On the merits of the matter, the learned standing counsel shall seek instructions (reply) indicating if juniors to the petitioner in the class of seasonal collection peons have been retained in service, while the petitioner has not been retained or engaged”.
In its order dated Sept 23, the HC directed the Etawah collector to file a personal affidavit regarding this fact & fixed the matter for further hearing on October 1.