The Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) on July 10 has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has asked for financial assistance under the PM Cares Fund and Contingency Fund to mitigate the hardship of the advocates in Delhi and NCR.
KC Mittal, BCD Chairman and advocate in his letter have mentioned that due to COVID-19 and lockdown, courts have been closed from March 2020 because of which advocates are confined to their homes and are not able to attend courts.
The demand from the Bar Council of Delhi can be seen in the light of problems faced by advocates in the last four months as without any work or income it has become difficult for them to sustain themselves as well as their families.
Request for the fund for Delhi and NCR advocates:
The letter written by the BCD Chairman highlighted that the legal community in Delhi and NCR has been facing a severe financial crisis and the situation demands urgent government intervention by providing necessary funds of Rs. 500 crore to the Bar Council of Delhi from the PM Cares Fund and Contingency Fund to help the advocates amid the hardship.
The letter added that the lockdown has affected the earnings of thousands of advocates due to the closure of the courts. The condition of the advocates have been worsening day by day and they are unable in getting their basic requirements meet.
No relief during the Unlock phase:
Letter from the Bar Council of Delhi also highlighted that even Unlock after the four months of countrywide lockdown did not bring any relief. Contrary to the expectations, the cases of COVID-19 are so high that the courts continue to remain closed which rather aggravated the situation and one doesn’t know how long such a situation will continue.
Other States helping advocates amid the crisis:
On July 2, 2020, the Tamil Nadu state government had announced a monthly stipend of Rs. 3000 for the lawyers for two years. The step was taken to help the advocates amid the financial crisis.
As many lawyers of the state had pointed out that the courts have not been functioning properly and junior advocates are facing difficulties.
The state government decided to bring in the monthly financial assistance so as to avoid young advocates from migrating to other professions to meet their ends.
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