Guwahati: Without many new cases, lawyers face dark times during lockdown

GUWAHATI: The Covid-19 pandemic has played havoc not only with human lives but also destroyed the livelihood of many, with even those providing legal services being no exception. The courts have not shut down but litigants have been few and so are litigations during the lockdown, which have brought unprecedented miseries for the thousands of practising lawyers in the state.
Chairman of the Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury, said, "The Gauhati high court is hearing only 30 to 40 cases per day, most of which are bail cases, via video conferencing. When things were normal, the high court was hearing over 500 cases in its 20 courts daily. The courts are now grappling with a growing pendency of cases."
General secretary of the bar council Kulesh Goswami echoed, "It seems the whole system has been paused. Bail matters are the most urgent matters and fresh cases are very few now due to difficulties in filing cases. It's uncertain at this point in time when the pandemic will end and when things will become normal." He also said as the bar councils are also closed, the lawyers are facing lots of difficulties.
He added, "The vast majority of lawyers in the lower courts depend on fresh filings and hearings for their income. Their income comes from small cases on a daily basis. But due to lockdown, the courts are almost closed. The lower courts are taking matters through video conferences but the numbers of cases are not many."
Officials said the lockdown was the main reason for the decline of the cases as people are not able to travel. But erratic internet connectivity and low ratio of adaptability to the new normal of virtual courtrooms by lawyers have also hurt prospects.
Goswami said, "Due to the lack of networking infrastructure and adaptability by the lawyers, proceedings through video conferencing have not yielded the desired results."
Gauhati High Court Bar Association (GHCBA) earlier, in a representation to chief justice of Gauhati high court, urged for restoration of physical courts by abolishing the virtual courts from June 1 as Assam government has also opened all its offices with 100 per cent attendance.
There are approximately 24,000 lawyers under Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, which include about 5,000 newcomers who have been hit the hardest.
Newcomer Shohidul Mullah, 30, who has been practising in Barpeta district sessions court since January, said, "For newcomers like us, this lockdown has devastated us. We are like daily wagers and used to get Rs 400 to Rs 500 before the lockdown. Now it is difficult to manage ourselves and our family in this crisis."