Lawyers struggling with no work as some leave city
New Delhi: Lawyers in Delhi have been facing major crises and have hit financial hurdles post lockdown and the pandemic situation, which has forced many to leave, while others have had to drop pro-bono cases.
Surya Prakash, a lawyer in Delhi said his work came down by 80 percent after the lockdown, leaving him with no stable income. "I used to earn a meager amount, which was close to Rs 10,000 per case. This helped me survive, however, post-COVID, I have no income. No money at all," he said.
Similar sights can be seen at district courts of Delhi, where lawyers say their colleagues from different states have left Delhi as they were not able to sustain themselves. Private practioner Tanvi Sharma, who also runs a volunteer-based organisation called Volunteers Collective, said that she has had to reconsider pro-bono cases. "One major problem I am facing is travel; with metro not working I have to spend close to Rs 1,000 daily. My income is less than my travel expense now," she said.
On asking whether lawyers are being approached, Sharma said either the clients are backing out, or they are not approaching them. "With almost all business hit,
affording a lawyer will be difficult. Sustainability at this moment has become an issue," she added.
A Lucknow-based lawyer, who didn't want to be named and was working at a district court in Delhi said that he had to pack up his things and leave for home. "With courts shut, we were aware things would change, but when there was food scarcity we had to leave for home. I don't earn much from cases, just enough to get by but now imagine living has become an issue," he said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court had asked the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) and the Advocates Welfare
Trust to work out a plan to provide some economic relief to their members who have been financially hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
KC Mittal, Chairman of the Bar Council of Delhi, had also submitted that the Bar Council of Delhi has given a total assistance of Rs 8.22 crores and is exploring further possibilities of giving more benefits like social security and insurance policy to its members.
"The fact is there are so many who still haven't found any relief. The way things are going, we are scared how uncertain things will get. We are young lawyers, then there are those who earn on a daily basis as well, managing is difficult," Sharma said.
However, while the Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued directions allowing lawyers to file non-urgent and ordinary matters, it said this would be under the condition that such matters will be taken up only after normal function of the courts resume.
