As the vast spread of coronavirus has resulted into shutting down the functioning of various businesses and institutions, courts being no exception to it, the Bar Council of India has urged the Prime Minister and the chief ministers of all the states to provide at least a monthly allowance of Rs.20,000 to young lawyers and financially weak lawyers adversely affected by the pandemic.
Manan Kumar Mishra, The chairman of BCI stated in his letter addressed to the Prime Minister and chief ministers of all states, there are only a handful of 10% advocates in the country who can be comfortably stated to be in a position to survive and subsist without any earning during this time of crisis.
Mishra pointed out the lack of social security in the advocate’s fraternity, in such a situation if anything happens to a lawyer, then his/her family may be forced to lead a pitiful life, full of deprivation and starvation as most of the brothers and sisters of the fraternity are the sole breadwinners of their families, including the wife, husband, children, and aged parents.
Mishra request to the Prime Minister to allocate such funds and provide assistance to the advocates and direct the state governments to do the needful with the Centre and the state governments joining hands together can fulfill this cause and provide jointly and directly the funds to the advocates or transfer the necessary funds to the advocate’s welfare fund of each State Bar Council.
