The Karnataka High Court has sought the state government’s response to a petition challenging its decision to permit engineers to use the prefix ‘Er’ before their names. The petition alleges that granting official recognition to engineers while denying similar recognition to advocates amounts to discriminatory treatment.
Justice C M Poonacha issued notice on Friday while hearing a petition filed by Advocate Beerappa N, who has sought the cancellation of the government order dated September 15.
The petitioner has also questioned whether the state government possesses the constitutional and statutory authority to recognise professional honorifics through an executive order.
Petitioner Alleges Unequal Treatment of Advocates
Advocate Trivikram S, representing the petitioner, argued that the government had created an unjustified distinction between professions by officially recognising engineers through a prefix without extending comparable recognition to members of the legal profession.
The petition contended that such selective recognition violated the petitioner’s right to equality of status.
It emphasised that advocates perform an essential function in the administration of justice by representing citizens before courts, presenting their grievances through legal proceedings and safeguarding their right to be heard.
The petitioner also relied on Article 22(1) of the Constitution, which guarantees an arrested person the right to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner of their choice.
According to the plea, the constitutional responsibilities entrusted to advocates require the state to accord the profession equal respect rather than favouring another profession through official recognition.
Government’s Authority to Grant Professional Prefix Questioned
Apart from alleging discrimination, the petitioner challenged the legal basis of the government’s decision.
The plea invoked Article 18(1) of the Constitution, which prohibits the state from conferring titles, and argued that the provision does not authorise a state government to create or officially recognise a professional honorific.
It maintained that the September 15 order lacked statutory backing and questioned the government’s competence to introduce such recognition through executive action.
The petition further referred to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the statutory body responsible for coordinating and maintaining standards in technical education.
It argued that decisions concerning professional designations in engineering should rest with the competent expert authority rather than being determined independently by a state government.
The petitioner also raised concerns that allowing individual states to recognise professional prefixes could result in inconsistent practices across the country, with such designations becoming dependent on executive discretion.
Order Followed Engineers’ Day Announcement
The disputed government order was issued on September 15, following an announcement by D K Shivakumar during Engineers’ Day celebrations commemorating the birth anniversary of Sir M Visvesvaraya.
In explaining the decision, the government referred to Visvesvaraya’s achievements as the 18th Dewan of the erstwhile Mysore kingdom.
The order highlighted his contributions to the construction of the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam, the introduction of automatic flood gates and industrial development across the kingdom.
The petitioner, however, maintained that the recognition of engineers through a government-authorised prefix could not be justified without an appropriate legal foundation.
The High Court has issued notice to the Karnataka government on the challenge.
