"Govt lawyers made to wait endlessly for fees:" Delhi High Court directs Delhi govt to frame centralized scheme for payment of lawyers bills

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Law Secretary of the Delhi government to hold a meeting with relevant departments and put up a proper centralized scheme for payment of fees of lawyers engaged/ empanelled by the government (Anjana Gosain vs. Government of NCT). .Sinlge-judge Justice Prathiba M Singh observed that government lawyers cannot be made to wait endlessly for clearing their outstanding payments for the professional services rendered by them. Hence, there should be a streamlined and centralised mechanism by which lawyers can be paid for their professional services, the Court said. "This would ensure that counsel are not made to run from pillar to post for submitting their bills, getting the same approved and thereafter, for following up on payment from the department/authority concerned," the Court stated in its order. It, therefore, directed the government to come up with a centralised scheme for payment of government counsel. The Court has also directed the Law Secretary to join the proceedings before the High Court virtually on the next date of hearing on August 20. .The order was passed on an application filed by lawyer Anjana Gosain. highlighting non compliance by the Delhi government with an earlier order passed by the High Court on February 17, 2021. .Gosain, a counsel for the Delhi government, had various outstanding memos for her professional services and despite repeated emails and communications sent to the government authorities, she did not receive a positive response..By its February 17 order, the Court had granted the government a final opportunity to clear Gosain's outstanding dues within 6 weeks.In the said order, the Court had also observed that if the government fails to clear the dues, the Court would consider imposing heavy costs and interest for delayed payments..In the present application, it was submitted that the bills were not cleared yet and no payment was made despite the Court’s order.The government, in turn, argued that since there are various authorities which need to process the bills, there was a delay..On examining the previous order, the Court found that this was not the first of such cases and the problem was endemic..The Court said that counsel cannot be made to wait endlessly for clearance of their outstanding dues, and therefore, a streamlined mechanism is needed to expedite timely payments."In order to ensure that such a mechanism is put in place, it is directed that the Law Secretary, GNCTD would hold a meeting with relevant departments of the GNCTD and put up a proper centralized scheme for payment of counsels’ bills," the Court directed. .The report of the outcome of the meeting should be placed before the Court within 4 weeks..Advocate Shalini Nair appeared for the Petitioner while Delhi government was represented by advocate Sameer Vashisht..[Read Order]