CUTTACK: Over a week after the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the loss of livelihood of lawyers due to Covid-19 pandemic, the State Bar Council (SBC) has decided to provide financial assistance of Rs 5,000 each to the needy advocates. On July 22, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said, “We are faced with an unprecedented crisis due to Covid-19 pandemic. This would demand an unprecedented action for resolving the crisis. Nonetheless, we find that it is not possible to ignore the problem of livelihood of advocates.
We therefore consider it appropriate, in the interest of justice, to issue notice to the recognised Bar Associations of the Supreme Court and of all the High Courts to show cause why a fund for relief to eligible and deserving advocates should not be set up and donations for the same be invited from their own members or any other legitimate source.” The SBC formulated the Odisha State Bar Council Emergency Financial Assistance Rules, 2020 after deciding to provide financial assistance to the needy advocates having less than 10 years of practice.
The Bar Council of India approved the new rules on April 5. SBC’s Financial Assistance Committee on July 28 had decided to provide Rs 5000 each to the 12,185 eligible lawyers, entailing a requirement of Rs 6.09 crore. As the SBC had managed to collect Rs 30.78 lakh in the corpus fund and sanctioned Rs 50 lakh from its Advocates’ Welfare Fund, there is a deficit of Rs 5.79 crore, the sources added. The committee has decided to divert the required Rs 5.79 crore from the SBC’s Advocate Welfare Trust Fund after assurance from the State Government that it would reimburse it, said a member of the committee.