The Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh has appealed to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to provide a subsistence allowance of ₹20,000 per month to all junior and needy advocates for three months with immediate effect to help them overcome the crisis owing to the COVID-19 lockdown.
In a letter to the Chief Minister on Monday, Bar Council Chairman Ganta Rama Rao requested that the allowance be paid out of the interest accrued on the ₹100 crore sanctioned by the government for the welfare of advocates.
He also sought a subsistence allowance of ₹10,000 for advocate clerks for three months and wanted ₹5,000 stipend to be paid to junior advocates in time.
“The Bar Council has a mechanism to provide financial assistance in the event of death of any advocate, but it has no separate fund to meet the exigencies like the present one,” said Mr. Rama Rao.
Lockdown effect
The advocates and clerks are heavily dependent on the legal profession for their livelihood and they need to confine themselves to their homes as the court work across the State has come to a standstill due to the lockdown, he said, adding that the advocates are unable to provide the basic necessities to their families.
