Lawyers' body to provide financial aid to members affected due to lockdown

The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) has decided to implement the COVID-19 (Grant of Ex Gratia Relief) Scheme 2020to provide immediate and effective financial aid to its members who have been adversely impacted by the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown.

According to a statement issued by the DHCBA, the ex-gratia amount will be provided to the deserving members falling in certain categories.

Under the scheme, a member is not entitled to an aggregate ex-gratia amount of more than Rs 10,000.

The lawyers' body said the amount would be given to the members with zero to seven years' standing as advocates and who are not more than 32 years of age or whose family or household income was equivalent to or less than Rs 6 lakh per annum in the preceding 12 months.

Another category is of advocate members in need of money to defray urgent and unavoidable medical expenses for themselves or their dependent family members.

It also includes the members who are in dire need of funds to meet exceptional hardships.

The statement said the members falling in these categories can apply to the bar association at dhcbar@gmail.com with details such as name, year of enrolment, the aggregate family income etc.

It said the information given by the members will be sufficient and they need not attach any affidavit or proof in support of the claim.

The DHCBA has urged the senior members of the bar, designated seniors, law firms, members with established practices and those generally desirous of contributing to generously donate towards the creation of a corpus.

The statement said the DHCBA would additionally be earmarking a special budgetary allocation for this corpus from its existing funds.

It also made it clear that the scheme has no nexus with any similar scheme of the Bar Council of Delhi or any other lawyers' association.