The All Odisha Lawyers’ Association on Saturday resolved to seek an amendment to the Odisha Advocates Welfare Fund Act, 1987, demanding a matching grant from the State Government to the corpus.
At a special session of the executive body of the association, which was attended by top office-bearers of All Odisha Bar Council, the association has served an ultimatum. If the demand is not met by November, the lawyers will resort to a token ceasework on November 8 and 9, Bhubaneswar Bar Association secretary Chitta Ranjan Barisal said.
The association discussed the significance of welfare fund for lawyers and the need for the Government to contribute. Before the Act was formulated in 1987, it was proposed that the Government will give a grant matching the collection on tickets by the State Bar Council. The collection is made through a Rs 5 ticket on each ‘vakalatnama’ filed before the courts. However, when the Act was formulated, the proposal was not incorporated, Barisal said.
During the token strike, the association will press for amendment to the Act mandating the Government to make a matching grant to the fund. If the Government does not act, it plans a bigger agitation later in the year, Barisal said.