On Monday, the Supreme Court Bar Association has announced the introduction of a new financial assistance scheme to aid Lawyers who are financially distressed due to the prevailing Lockdown in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

The scheme named as 'COVID-19 Financial Assistance and Grant Scheme' intends to provide a one-time ex gratia amount of up to ₹20,000 to Advocates in need who are out of work due to economic crunch.

The Executive Committee of the SCBA took into consideration the serious distress caused to its Members in view of the shrinking finances due to lack of work amid Lockdown.

Who is eligible under the scheme and how to avail benefit?

The applicant must feature in the SCBA voter list between 2015 and 2019, and should be genuinely in need to monetary assistance.

The annual income of an applicant must be less than ₹8 lakh to qualify as a beneficiary and is required to give a reasonable explaination of how the particular is facing financial crunch has to be mentioned.

The eligible are required to furnish a declaration/undertaking in the prescribed form, with details regarding their SCBA membership number along with other details and the serial number of their appearance in the voter list during 2015-2019 to avail the benefit.

The applicant must also declare whether they have availed of any COVID-19 related assistance other than this scheme, either in the form of a loan from SCBA or grant under SCAORA's COVID scheme or any benefit from any Bar Association during this period. If yes, details of the same must also be attached.

Details regarding the Scheme and application forms are available on SCBA's website. Those who want to avail the benefit ,can sending their applications to a prescribed email ID.

Here are soem guidelines in that direction:-

"Any Member willing to avail this grant must apply to the SCBA in writing with complete particulars to include his full name, age, and residential address as borne on the rolls of the SCBA with SCBA Membership No. The application may be submitted by e- mail with an undertaking to submit a signed copy of the application subsequently and before disbursal of the grant once the same is duly approved. In the application the Member should indicate in case he or she or any person dependent on the member is in need of continued and prolonged medical treatment. The applicant shall provide the bank account details indicating clearly Savings Bank Account No, Name of the Bank, Address and IFSC Code."

NOTE: Applications will be scrutinized by the EC, and the grant of benefits to an applicant will be left to the EC's sole discretion.

Those which will be approved by him, shall receive the regerous amount via electronic transfer to bank account, No representation will be entertained in case application gets rejected.

The SCBA has clarified the following in this regard:-

"The identity of the Advocate seeking benefit under the Scheme will be kept confidential as far as possible.
The applications will be scrutinized by a Committee of the EC constituted for this purpose and after due scrutiny will be put up for approval of the EC which may accept or reject such applications in its discretion. No representations in this regard will be entertained from the applicant. In case the application for the grant is approved the sum aforesaid will be released and credited to the bank account of the applicant through electronic transfer."

It added that the SCBA's financial resources were not being used towards the scheme, and was financed by the "generous and voluntary" donations of SCBA members.

Interested people can apply before June 3, 2020.

Read Notice Here:

Share this Document :

Picture Source :