New Delhi: A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking direction to the state government to provide the financial assistance to advocates enrolled with the Bar Council Delhi without discrimination on the ground of residential address or voter ID.
The petition filed by advocate Sunil Kumar Tiwari stated: “…most of the advocates who come from a middle-class family and lower middle-class family are not able to survive and feed their family without financial assistance. That most of the advocates who have their own home were/are paying huge EMI towards home loans, car loans, credit cards payments and who are residing in rented accommodation are paying rent till today along with EMI of their other loans.
“This has put advocates and people in a similar situation in great difficulty and such action of the Respondent No. 3 clearly violates and is in contravention to the ‘right to life’ guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, 1950 wherein right to life includes right to livelihood, which is a prerequisite to the fundamental right guaranteed under Article 21 to people of India,” the petition alleged.
The petition further alleged that “…the respondents have failed to announce any financial assistance scheme for advocates’ family till date.”
Read Also: SC says no to plea seeking NEET centres abroad, but asks govt if students can be flown back to India
Tiwari has further sought directions to the government “…to extend the moratorium period for repayment of term loan/credit cards for another 12 months or until the situation becomes normal and waive the interest completely or charge at savings bank rate of interest for advocates during the moratorium period.”
– India Legal Bureau