Allahabad High Court has directed the state government to consider increasing the amount of compensation given to the dependents of deceased lawyers. [ज्योतिमा बनाम उत्तर प्रदेश राज्य व 2 अन्य]. The division bench of Justices Ajit Kumar and Garima Prasad noted that the amount of compensation under the 'Financial Assistance Scheme for Lawyers' was capped at ₹5 lakh in 2015 and since then, the fund of the scheme has increased from ₹20 crore to ₹330 crore.
However, the court observed that the compensation amount still remained at ₹5 lakh. Therefore, the court asked the government to consider increasing the compensation amount. The court directed, “The government should submit an affidavit as to how much it proposes to increase the amount of compensation under the financial assistance scheme; we leave this decision to the wisdom of the state government.”
If the correct affidavit is not filed in the matter by the next date, the court will have to take a strict stance on the matter.” The court was hearing a plea by the widow of a lawyer. She had sought interest on compensation of ₹5 lakh due to the delay in the decision on her plea. She had filed for compensation in 2020, but the payment was due in 2025.