In fact, the air of informality is so infectious that any novice to the sombre portals of the Bombay High Court these days might be tempted to think that likewise, justice too is a level-playing field between adversaries on an equal footing. But banish the philosophical, for the gavel has fallen and the court is on a glorious month-long vacation.

Judges, who are usually seated in the pulpit and tower over advocates and litigants, now sit across a table on the chair of the associate, while the associate, who helps the judge with the paperwork, sits alongside. Advocates of the warring parties, for their part, argue their cases while sitting across the table.

But the changed dress code and circumstances are so bereft of their otherwiseintimidating aura that on one occasion two weeks ago a litigant thought nothing of slipping into his lawyer's shoes - right under the judge's nose! Helplessly watching his advocate grope for the right words, he felt emboldened to ask the judge if he could speak instead.

Justice Ranjana Samant-Desai, of course, was unmoved. But the crestfallen gentleman did learn a poignant lesson that day: even if the judge is within arm's reach, justice usually isn't.

It is a ritual of the British era that remains - as does so much of the Indian judicial system. The month-long vacation was a tradition among the British, whose judges used it to escape from the harsh Indian summer to say, a hill-station. Of course, their counterparts today are not complaining. Dispensing justice is a serious affair that many take very seriously and the hiatus is a welcome distraction.

Not that justice takes a complete holiday during the vacation. Two judges, one each on the original side (cases originating in the city) and the appellateside (originating from outside the city) remain in session during this period. So, even if senior counsels recall the time they did a doubletake when Justice B N Srikrishna wore a red T-shirt and jeans to court during one such vacation, the wheel of justice continues its lonely and arduous grind uninterrupted.

The difference though is in the adjudication of cases. While the regular benches try to hear at least 50 cases per day, during vacation a maximum of 30 cases are listed for hearing. Even here, unless it is a matter of extreme urgency -- like the recent Stracon-Nimbus battle over transmission rights of the World Cup on Doordarshan -- the judges refrain from passing orders.

They neither admit cases nor pass directives unless it is a pressing issue. So, even though the judges, who open court at 11 am, leave only after hearing all the listed cases, they usually adjourn them to the regular courts and mainly provide ad interim relief.

The vacation also gives the 120-year-old Bombay High Court a chanceto catch up with the times. Lakhs of rupees are currently being spent to do up the Early English architecture. Corridors made of Italian mosaic are being washed, teak panels and galleries are being varnished and the central elevator in the main stairwell is being repaired. Hopefully, once the vacation ends on June 7, the public too will return to an equally refreshing experience.