Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Former president of the Indore Bar Association, advocate Gopal Kacholia, has urged the Madhya Pradesh State Bar Council, Jabalpur, to include newly enrolled advocates who joined after July 2024 and have cleared the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) in the Advocate Welfare Scheme 1989 and Family Welfare Scheme.
As per the Supreme Court’s order dated July 30, 2024, in a Writ Petition (Gaurav Kumar vs Union of India & Others), the Bar Council has revised its membership fee to ₹750 for General/OBC and ₹125 for SC/ST candidates.
However, Kacholia pointed out that the new membership forms issued after this order no longer include options to enroll in the Advocate Welfare Scheme 1989 (earlier available to advocates up to the age of 45) and the Family Welfare Scheme (earlier optional and available up to the age of 35).
Due to this exclusion, new advocates are being denied membership in these schemes, which will also prevent their nominees from claiming death benefit amounts under the schemes in the future.
Kacholia has appealed to the Bar Council’s president and secretary to take prompt action and allow all new AIBE-qualified advocates to join these welfare schemes upon payment of the applicable fee, ensuring they receive the same benefits as earlier members.
