Dress code for Bihar govt employees: Jeans, t-shirts banned

In a move that might appear as a strange development to the people of digital era, a court in Bihar has banned government employees in Saran district from wearing jeans and t-shirts to office.

The District Magistrate in Saran has reportedly directed workers not to wear jeans and t-shirts and asked them to wear their identity cards around the neck that helps people to easily identify them.

Henceforth, the workers have to wear formal dress and stay in the offices during the working hours between 10 am and 4 pm. The decision is taken to change the work culture in the offices, according to a report in IANS.

They have also been warned not to break the dress code as the District Magistrate would undertake surprise inspections of particular departments and also might do video conferencing to check whether they are following the court's directive.

However, such directives are not new in Bihar. Earlier, the Nitish Kumar government had issued a dress code for its employees asking them to wear simple and sober attire in office. It had also banned them form wearing jeans and t-shirt to work in order to maintain decorum.

"It has been noticed that officials and employees are coming to office in attires which are contrary to the office culture. This is against the office decorum," the order said.

Similarly, the Haryana government banned doctors from wearing denim jeans, palazzo pants, backless tops, and skirts at the state hospitals. Likewise, CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal in 2021 directed all officials of the agency to be dressed in formals on duty, warning them that casual dressing will not be allowed.

"No jeans, T-shirts, sports shoes, chappals (slippers) and casual attire is allowed in the office," the order had stated.