Stipend Scheme For Young Advocates: Tamil Nadu Govt. Launches Scheme To Provide Rs. 3,000 Aid Per Month For 2 Years

Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, Law Minister CVe Shanmugam, Chief Secretary K Shanmugam, and senior officials were present on the occasion.

The scheme aims to provide Rs.3,000 per month as assistance for young law graduates who hail from economically poor backgrounds during the initial years of their careers.

As per the report of The New Indian Express, the new scheme of the Government of Tamil Nadu will benefit the law students hailing from economically poor backgrounds in rural areas, where, it takes at least three or four years to become full-fledged advocates.

"During this period, many are under poverty, and a few move to some other professions unable to stabilise themselves as advocates. Now, this special scheme will help those advocates," the release adds.

An per the official release of the State Government, the scheme aims to help those young advocates, who have just passed out of their colleges, and are required to clear the All India Bar Examination to get themselves permanent registration in the Bar Council.

It may be noted that in July 2020, the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry had informed that the Chief Minister of the State has sanctioned a monthly stipend of Rs.3,000/- for a period of two years to the young Advocates who are practicing in the state.

"The timely help to the young Advocates will go to long way in ensuring that the standards of Advocates stays high and as a directive result, Tamilnadu will be able to produce great Advocates and eminent jurists in future," the Bar Council Chairman PS Amalraj had said.

It had earlier submitted a memorandum before the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami urging him to grant monthly stipend of `5,000 per month to the newly enrolled junior lawyers.

It may be noted that in 2018, the Government of Kerala had approved stipend for junior lawyers. Lawyers aged less than 30 and having less than three years of practise, with annual income less than Rs. 1 lakh are entitled to stipend. The stipend amount is Rs. 5,000 per month. Recently, the Kerala High Court pulled up the State Bar Council for "grave delay" in implementation of 2018 Government order.

Earlier this year, Bar Council of India had written a letter to Prime Minister and Chief Ministers of all States with a request to provide a minimum sum of Rs. 20,000/- per month as subsistence allowance to young lawyers, specifically those who are not financially well/needy in view of the lockdown imposed due to the Coronavirus outbreak.