Pay Rs 30 lakh to kin of advocates who died of COVID: Lawyers' body to Karnataka CM

BENGALURU: Pained by the death of 56 advocates, who are members of the Advocates' Association of Bengaluru (AAB), due to COVID, AAB president AP Ranganath addressed a letter to the Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to treat advocates as frontline workers and grant Rs 30 lakh each as compensation to the families of advocates who died due to pandemic.

"It pains me dearly to inform you that many young advocates with extremely bright prospects have lost their precious lives," he said.

Requesting to provide free treatment for the members of the Bar, Bench and the court staff, in all the hospitals, he urged the chief minister to release funds immediately to dispense for advocates who are in financial distress.

He stated that with COVID-19 cases continuously on the rise and most courts closed, many advocates have lost their only source of income. "It is a well-known truth that advocates and their family members, who have been infected, have not received quality and timely treatment. As you may be aware, many advocates are in dire financial crisis and are not able to afford basic living expenses, and unable to afford medical expenses," the president said in the letter.

“In this pursuit of selfless sacrifice and public service many advocates not only contracted the virus but also tragically succumbed to it,” he said.