In a significant development, the Delhi High Court on Thursday mandated the Bar Council of India (BCI) to resolve a petition concerning the provision of a minimum stipend to junior lawyers within six weeks. The directive emerged from a hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) spearheaded by advocate Simran Kumari, which challenges the current stipend policies for juniors employed by seasoned advocates.
The Division Bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, expressed the urgency of the matter, emphasizing the necessity for a timely decision by the BCI. โThis can’t be kept pending. It needs to be decided. BCI must take a decision in the matter. Please decide it in six weeks,โ the court highlighted during the proceedings.
Further, the court invited the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) to contribute its recommendations to the BCI within a fortnight, hoping to enrich the decision-making process with diverse insights.
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The PIL, lodged earlier this year, points to a prolonged delay in addressing the financial challenges faced by junior advocates. Advocate Preet Pal Singh, representing the BCI, acknowledged the council’s previous discussions on the issue and projected that the stipend matter would be revisited in the upcoming council meeting scheduled in a few weeks.
