A PIL has been filed in the Uttarakhand High Court seeking a direction for payment of a monthly subsistence allowance to advocates and court clerks during the lockdown imposed to check the spread of coronavirus.
Citing impact of the extended lockdown and social distancing measures on the income opportunities of lawyers with assorted activities coming to a standstill, the PIL sought the court's direction to the state government and the Bar Council of Uttarakhand to pay a subsistence allowance of Rs 10,000 per month to advocates and Rs 5,000 to clerks for the entire lockdown period, petitioner's counsel Kartikey Hari Gupta said on Saturday.
The PIL has has also sought that the National Disaster Management Authorities be directed to frame separate relief guidelines for the advocates and waiver from bank interest on installments.
The subsistence allowance has been demanded for every advocate on the roll of the Bar Council of Uttarakhand and registered clerks.
The PIL is likely to be heard on Monday.