Bombay High Court questions legal basis of stipend for junior lawyers 

On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, the Supreme Court of Bombay asked questions about whether he had a monthly right to receive a monthly allowance even if the young lawyers in Maharashtra have sympathized with their financial struggles.

A chapter of the Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandep Marne felt a public interest case opened by a monthly 5,000 ° lawyer for young lawyers who have been practicing and annual income by Maharashtra for less than three years.

While the court accepted the financial difficulties faced by young lawyers, he questioned the legal basis to compultify an allowance. “What is the legal right? At the personal level, we support you. We agree with you. But who’s gonna give it? The bar council has no fund. Will you give any fund?” He asked the chief justice.

In addition, he questioned whether the demand has a wider public benefit: “There is no public interest element. How does society generally interested in the foresight of young lawyers?”

Lawyers Ajit Deshpande and Akshay Desai represented by the petition holders, Bursun, especially for those affected by the COVID-19 pandema, argued that the legal practices will provide significant financial assistance during the formatting years. Delhi showed similar scholarship plans in other states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, and pointed to the recommendation of the Indian Bar Council (BCI), which was 20,000 in rural areas and ₹ 20,000 in urban regions.

When the petitions drew attention to the fact that the Delhi Supreme Court already passed the instructions on this issue, the Chief Justice Aradhe said, “Why do we believe that 45,000 should be paid in cities such as 15,000? Mumbai. But where will the funds come from?” He replied.

Maharashtra and Goa (BCMG) Bar Association said in her response that the implementation of the plan would cost approximately 155 Crore a year – this claimed that it cannot meet without government support. “Some states with these plans are being helped. We can’t do this in Maharashtra. We sent a representation.”

The court postponed the issue for two weeks and led the parties to return clearly whether any legal provision requires such financial assistance for young lawyers. The petition also proposes that the prosperity fund defending Maharashtra be used to finance the plan.

The petition filed in 2022 advocates the creation of a permanent payment plan to support young defenders throughout the legal practice that lasted early, financially unstable years.

The petition said, “A survey conducted by the Vidhi Legal Policy Center, more than 79% of the lawyers participating in the survey in 7 High Courts, said that the advocates who have less than 10,000 legal practices per month, as well as the difference in the development of high -level advocates and the participants of the profession, did not reflect the support of young lawyers and young lawyers.

In addition, Mahashtra said that the state government’s new lawyers have not taken any steps to support economically and to give economic assistance to the Maharashtra and Goa Bar Association.

“On March 24, 2020, the Indian Bar Association Council, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to support their families after the locking to the lawyers who are not financially good for a month as a minimum of 20,000 La applied. But unfortunately no economic support has been provided by the central government.” He said.