Rajesh Kumar Pandey | TNNPrayagraj: Allahabad high court has clarified that constitutional functionaries like MPs, judges, and ministers are entitled to ‘Honourable’ honorifics. The court, however, clarified that a civil servant, regardless of rank, is not entitled to use this specific honorific.A bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Tarun Saxena in its April 30 order said that constitutional functionaries who exercise sovereign functions must be addressed as ‘Honourable’ in every communication pertaining to them.The court observed that the honorific ‘Hon’ble’ is to be appended solely to the names of constitutional functionaries who exercise sovereign functions of any of the three organs of govt.“The ministers of the central and state govts, the judges of the Supreme Court and the high courts, the Speaker, the chairman of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, respectively and likewise of the state legislative assemblies, the members of Parliament and the state legislative assemblies are entitled to the use of this honorific,” the bench observed.The court added that there could be other similar functionaries who, according to the protocol, are entitled and whoever is entitled to the use of this honorific must be addressed likewise.Earlier, while hearing this petition filed by the accused Harshit Sharma, the high court had on March 31 taken exception to the UP Police having failed to append ‘Honourable’ before the name of MP and former Union Minister, Anurag Thakur, whose name was mentioned in the FIR. The court had then sought explanation from additional chief secretary, home, UP.On April 30, in response to the HC order, the court was apprised via an affidavit that a typed Hindi complaint produced by the first informant, Khajan Singh, had not referred to Mr Anurag Thakur as ‘Hon’ble’, and the same was reproduced verbatim in column 12 of the check FIR. The informant claimed he was entirely unaware of the protocol regarding the use of honorifics for MPs or former Union ministers. The court has clarified that being an MP, Anurag Thakur was strictly entitled to the honorific.Closing the dispute, the high court accepted the replies filed by the state and the respondent counsel. The case before the high court was a quashing plea concerning the offences of criminal intimidation and criminal breach of trust. The former Union Minister’s name was mentioned in the FIR, though he has not been named as an accused.
