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SCBA asks Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to grant frontline status to judges, legal fraternity
the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) wrote to Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Union Minister for Law and Justice and requested to include lawyers, judges, and other members of the legal fraternity to be included in the priority group as frontline workers so that appropriate measures can be taken to prioritize them in the COVID-19 vaccination drive that has begun in India.
In the letter to the Minister, the SCBA lauded the government for launching the world’s largest vaccination drive as the vaccines released currently are being manufactured in our own country. It was also stated how the “Make in India” program was huge success.
The importance of the Judicial system was noted and how it the system is a sacrosanct limb in the Constitutional scheme and since it works towards rendering services to the people and the welfare of the society, the staff, lawyers and the judges who work in the judicial system are frontline workers. Due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the courts were working online with restricted audience, limited hearing of cases as the Bar classified only limited cases and lack of examination of witness. Due to the malfunctioning of the software and delays in the hearing, there is an impending crisis ahead. The letter also stated how the crisis is not just faced by the members of the legal fraternity, but also by the owners of small canteens, stationery shops, photostat shops, xerox shops, etc. who rely upon the courts for a living are also badly effected by the pandemic. Furthermore, it was also stated how the people in the custody and people seeking relief in the long pending cases are also adversely affected.
It was requested that the present vaccination programme be extended at the earliest so that normalcy can be retained in the working of the judicial system and restore the faith of public in judiciary.
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