CM Pinarayi Vijayan Inaugurates Stipend Scheme To Provide Financial Assistance To Young Lawyers In Kerala

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the stipend scheme to provide financial assistance to young and struggling lawyers in Kerala.  A lawyer under the age of 30, who has a legal practice of fewer than 3 years and has an annual income of less than ₹1 lakh, is eligible for the scheme.

The implementation of the stipend scheme announced via a government order in March 2018, had been delayed for over three years. This caused a lawyer to file a petition with the Kerala High Court, expressing the grievances of junior lawyers. The delay in implementing the scheme drew the attention of the High Court, which repeatedly criticized the Bar Council for not implementing the government order in a timely manner.

In December 2021, the Kerala Bar Council officially established the Kerala Advocates' Stipend Rules for the payment of a stipend of up to ₹5,000 per month to young lawyers who have less than three years of experience and an annual income not exceeding ₹1 lakh. It was said that the stipend will be disbursed from the Kerala Advocates' Welfare Fund, which will be managed by the Trustee Committee, and has the authority to do so under the provisions of Section 9 of the Kerala Advocates' Welfare Fund Act, 1980. Following the notification of the Kerala Advocates' Stipend Rules, the Trustee Committee made some recommendations to the state government. Based on these recommendations, a new government order was issued in June 2022, which mandated the payment of a stipend of ₹3,000 per month to young lawyers who are under the age of 30 years, have less than three years of legal practice experience and have an annual income of less than ₹1 lakh.