Kerala Flood Relief: Rs. 2 Crore Expected To Be Raised Through Allahabad HC And Subordinate Judiciary Judges, Staff, Lawyers

Judges, staff members and lawyers of the Allahabad High Court as well as the subordinate judiciary are expecting to collect a total of more than Rs. 2 crore as a part of its efforts to contribute towards the Kerala flood relief fund.

As per a press release issued by the court, during a meeting of the Administrative Committee, as convened by Chief Justice DB Bhosale, it was resolved that all the judges, judicial officers and staff members of the High Court and the District Judiciary will contribute their one day’s salary to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. This amounts to Rs. 42,91,300.

Acting on the appeal made by the Chief Justice, the Bar Association has also contributed Rs. 10 lakhs for the purpose, and Senior Advocates of the court have contributed a total of Rs. 13,60,500. Out of this, Rs. 1 lakh each has been contributed by Senior Advocate Gopal Swarup Chaturvedi and Naveen Sinha.

Besides, while judicial officers and employees of the subordinate judiciary have so far contributed Rs. 1.4 crores, more than Rs. 20 lakh is still expected to be added to the fund.

Emphasising on the enormity of the initiative, the release states, “For the very first time, in the history of Hon’ble Court, on the call and efforts made by Hon’ble Court, on the call and efforts made by Hon’ble the Chief Justice, the entire legal fraternity comprising Hon’ble Judges, Bar Associations, Judicial Officers and Officials of the High Court and Subordinate Judiciary, have collectively shared the pain and agony of the victims of a natural disaster wit such open heartedness.”

Kerala has been facing an unprecedented crisis, having been hit by the worst-floods in a 100 years. The State has lost nearly 400 people and more than a million have been displaced. While water levels are receding, Kerala now faces the challenge of rebuilding, with economic cost of damages being estimated in billions of dollars.