Srinagar: As a major relief to the lawyers’ community and to fulfill their long-pending demands, the Jammu and Kashmir government has taken a historical step to implement the Advocates Welfare Fund Act, 2001 in J&K.
According to officials, the act provides for giving financial assistance to organise welfare schemes for the advocates.
“To implement the act, the government has established the J&K Advocates Welfare Fund and has also constituted the J&K ‘Advocates Welfare Fund Trustee Committee’ headed by the Advocate General of J&K with the Registrar General, Home Secretary, Law Secretary, two advocates nominated by the High Court and one Government Pleader or Public Prosecutor nominated by the Home Department as its members,” they said.
The trusteeship committee held its first meeting on October 13 and it was decided to frame rules for operationalisation of the Advocates Welfare Fund.
The advocates’ funds should interalia be used for making ex-gratia grants to the member of the fund in case of a serious health problem, payment of a fixed amount on cessation of practice, and in case of death of a member to his nominee or legal heir medical and educational facilities for the members of their dependents, purchase of the books, and for establishing common facilities for advocates.
The constitution of the fund and establishment of the Trustee Committee would go a long way toward taking welfare measures for the advocates practicing in J&K and with this step the government has fulfilled the long-pending demand of the advocates of J&K for which they were entitled as per provisions of the law.