Patna, Feb 10 Ahead of the Bihar Budget 2025, a delegation of Patna High Court advocates, led by senior lawyer Yogesh Chandra Verma, met Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Samrat Choudhary on Monday.
The advocates submitted a memorandum outlining their key demands, seeking financial support and infrastructural improvements.
The delegation urged the state government to make budgetary provisions for better seating arrangements in 101 sub-divisional courts and 38 district courts to facilitate judicial work.
The accommodation of lawyers inside court premises has long been a challenging issue for administrators in Bihar. Many advocates, especially young and junior lawyers, struggle with proper seating arrangements, often managing with just a table and a chair to conduct their legal practice.
While senior lawyers have access to designated chambers, the majority of practising advocates face space constraints, making it difficult to work efficiently.
This lack of infrastructure has been a long-pending demand among the legal community, leading to repeated requests for government intervention.
The delegation also demanded an annual financial allocation for the Advocate Association to support legal professionals and a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000 for new lawyers for the first five years of their practice.
Increase in financial assistance from the Advocate Welfare Trust—raising compensation from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 15 lakh in case of an advocate’s demise.
The delegation also demanded the inclusion of lawyers under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme and the establishment of healthcare centres in all district and sub-divisional courts.
They further demanded the formation of a high-level committee to address issues arising from the three new laws recently implemented.
Samrat Choudhary assured the delegation that their demands would be considered in consultation with Finance Department officials. Additionally, he announced an allocation of Rs 25 lakh from his MLA fund to enhance facilities for High Court lawyers and urged them to utilise it efficiently.
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