2,000 women lawyers write to Amit Shah seeking 5 Lakhs Loan per 'Financially Drained' Lawyer during COVID19 Pandemic

As courts continue to remain closed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 2,000 women Lawyers from across the country have written a letter petition to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah for seeking aid for "financially drained advocates." .This the first time that such a representation has been made by an all women lawyer group of this magnitude. The letter also calls for improvement of the infrastructural facilities for virtual courts. .It was only recently that a Supreme Court Bench led by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde took suo motu cognizance of the dire conditions of lawyers across India in the pandemic..Financial assistance for lawyers amid COVID-19: Supreme Court acknowledges "dire situation"; issues notice in suo motu matter, BCI plea.The representation to the Union Home Minister seeks the formulation of a policy so that a loan of Rs 5 lakhs can be given to the lawyers to help them overcome this "difficult situation."."This is to seek formulation of a uniform policy to provide the practicing advocates loan up to Rs. 5,00,000/- (Rupees Five Lakh Only) payable in 36 equal monthly installments with moratorium period of one year, by exercising your learned office’s extraordinary power under the Disaster Management Act, as Advocates are not able to exercise their fundamental right to livelihood since the month of March 2020."reads the representation .BCI moves plea urging SC to direct Govt to provide interest-free loans up to Rs 3 lakhs each for lawyers in need due to COVID-19.The letter adds that a policy ought to be formulated "to provide infrastructural backup to all Bar Associations and (to) make virtual hearing more user friendly, to make access to legal system convenient in this phase of National Health Emergency.".The representation further notes that the situation of hunger and food insecurity is especially dire in the supporting court staff (clerks, stenos, office boy, Photocopying staff, stamp vendors etc.). The absence of aid at a time like this was causing more distress and is in violation of the fundamental right to food as protected under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, it is stated..Laying down options on how this loan scheme can be implemented, the representation states that "a loan may also be given on personal guarantee of the advocates by taking corporate guarantee from Bar Council of India or from respective State Bar Councils." .No action yet for interim Welfare Fund payouts aid needy lawyers, clerks: Madras HC asks BCI, BCTN to submit complete financial statements ."The Government may also direct NATIONAL CREDIT GUARANTEE TRUSTEE COMPANY (‘NCGTC’ for brevity) by adding advocates also as one of its category to the existing schemes like Skill Development; Education loans, etc," reads the representation. .The representation by the "Advocates of Bharat" states that non-inclusion of the Advocates community in of the schemes launched by the Union of India under the Disaster Management Act amounts to violation of right to life and livelihood of around 15 lakh advocate-families..The group of 2,000 women lawyers started a signature drive on July 21, 2020. Within 40 hours or so, the number of responses on the representation crossed 2,000. .The data collected reveals that women advocates from all over India have stood up for the collective call and cause of all the advocates..[READ THE REPRESENTATION]