The Karnataka High Court has issued notice on a petition challenging the State’s order allowing engineers to use the ‘Er’ prefix before their names, and has asked the State to respond.
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Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has issued notice to the State Government on a writ petition by an advocate challenging a Government Order of September 15, 2026 that permits engineers in the State to add the prefix ‘Er’ before their names [Beerappa N v. State of Karnataka].
Justice C.M. Poonacha issued notice on October 9 and listed the matter for further hearing on November 16. The Court has not ruled on the validity of the order, and the State’s response is awaited.
The challenge
The petitioner, Beerappa N, who is a member of the Bar, questions whether the State has the authority to confer honorifics on a class of professionals. According to the petition, the State has given no clear or logical explanation for conferring an honorific on engineers, which the petitioner says offends the right to equality under Article 14 of the Constitution.
The petition argues that the State is bound to secure equality of status and that conferring honorifics would create a hierarchy among professions. It also contends that the order is arbitrary because it favours one profession over others, and that, as a member of the Bar, the petitioner’s own standing and dignity are diminished by it. These are the petitioner’s contentions and have not been tested by the Court.
The order under challenge
The Government Order of September 15, 2026 allows engineers to use ‘Er’ as a prefix before their names. The State of Karnataka is the only respondent named in the petition, and the petitioner was represented by Advocate Trivikram S.S. No counsel for the State has been recorded so far.
Why the order matters
The petition raises a narrow but unusual question: whether a State can, by executive order, confer an honorific on one profession without a legal basis, and whether doing so is consistent with equality before the law. Nothing has been decided yet, and the notice only calls for the State’s response.
Case Title: Beerappa N v. State of Karnataka
Bench: Justice C.M. Poonacha, Karnataka High Court
Date of Order: October 9, 2026 (notice issued); next listing November 16, 2026
Appearances: Advocate Trivikram S.S. for the petitioner