[Financial Assistance To Advocates] Bar Associations To Maintain Anonymity Of Beneficiaries; Accounts Shall Be Audited: Allahabad HC

Further, all the transactions so made for welfare of distressed Advocates during the lockdown, will be duly audited, the court has ordered.

Yesterday, a division bench led by Chief Justice Govind Mathur had constituted a Monitoring Committee consisting of various office bearers of the HCBA to oversee the disbursement of financial assistance to the Advocates in need. Thereby, it had also directed the Trustees Committee under the Uttar Pradesh Advocates Welfare Fund Act, 1974 to convene a meeting at the earliest so as to devise a scheme to provide assistance to the needy Advocates, who are deleteriously affected due to COVID-19 lockdown.

The matter was taken up today to offer certain clarifications on that order. In doing so the bench observed,

"we find that it is essential that anonymity of the applicants who apply for relief be maintained and, therefore, we direct that no organization which would render help to the learned Advocates would make the names of the Advocates public."

The court further observed,

"Still further, we find it appropriate to direct that all transactions done by the Court attached Bar Associations relating to the relief funds of Advocates would be audited by private auditors to be appointed by the courts concerned."

While passing the order for disbursement of funds, the bench had also recognized the vital role played by Advocates' Clerks in Court Management and thus requested govt. to examine the viability of framing welfare legislation for them.

Case Title: In Re - Assistance To The Needy Advocates And Registered Advocate Clerks

Case No.: PIL 569/2020

Quorum: Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Siddhartha Varma

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