After 15 years as Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee showed up at the Calcutta High Court in black advocate's robes to argue a PIL — and the Bar Council of India wrote back within 48 hours to ask whether she was legally allowed to wear that coat.
The Indian legal tradition holds that only enrolled advocates may appear before courts in full advocate's attire. Lawyers who hold constitutional office typically suspend their enrollment during their tenure; reinstatement is not automatic. Mamata Banerjee, who governed West Bengal for 15 years before the 2026 election, appeared in the Calcutta High Court in advocate's black robes and white bands to make submissions in a PIL concerning post-poll violence. The Bar Council of India, noticing this, dispatched a letter to the West Bengal Bar Council within 48 hours demanding records of her enrollment status — specifically whether it had been suspended during her 2011–2026 tenure as CM, and whether she had formally reinstated it before appearing. In a country where correcting the spelling of your name on a government document can take three financial years, the professional regulator managed to question Mamata Banerjee's legal identity in under two days. Whether the court ultimately sees her as a former chief minister, a practising advocate, or simply a woman who found a very authoritative coat — the matter is under review.