Covid-19: Lawyers find it tough to make ends meet

PATNA: The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in financial hardship for several lawyers in the state.
The functioning of Patna high court and several other subordinate courts has remained affected since mid-March due to the pandemic. Though Patna high court started hearing cases through videoconferencing, the system has not been properly implemented in subordinate courts.
Patna High Court Lawyers’ Association general secretary Rajeev Kumar Singh said 80% of those practising at high court, including advocate clerks, were dependent on daily case hearing to earn livelihood.“Financially sound office-bearers and members of the association have so far provided monetary help to 60 needy lawyers,” Singh said.
He said virtual hearing at high court should continue for at least a month or two as even if one person – either lawyer or advocate clerk – contracts the virus after resumption of physical hearing, the consequence would be disastrous as the entire court building would be sealed.
“The Patna high court has performed much better than other high courts as it has been conducting virtual hearing in full scale since almost a month. At least 400 cases are taken up daily at the Patna high court,” Singh added.
Patna civil court lawyer Abhishek Priyadarshi said at least 95% lawyers at civil court are under financial stress. “Some of them can’t even meet their daily needs. They are part of justice delivery system. The high court should direct the state government to take steps to help these lawyers,” he said.
Priyadarshi said hearing at civil courts got crippled due to Covid-19 which directly affected practising lawyers.
Bihar State Bar Council secretary Ashok Kumar said lawyers across the state have been suffering a lot financially owing to the pandemic. “Courts are not functioning normally. Clients of lawyers have stopped coming to courts due to Covid-19,” he said.
Kumar said there are around 12,000 lawyers at Patna high court and at least one lakh across the state.
HC to continue virtual hearing: The Patna high court will continue to function virtually till June 15. A full bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Karol, Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and Justice Hemant Kumar Srivastava on Wednesday heard the matter during which advocate general Lalit Kishore, Centre’s additional solicitor general SD Sanjay, advocates’ association president Yogesh Chandra Verma, lawyers’ association president Ajay Thakur and Bar Association president Sanjay Singh expressed their views. They said the present system of virtual hearing should continue till June 15.