Congress assure advocates of support on welfare issues, seeks support for party candidates in Graduate MLC polls

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud said the party would discuss the issues faced by advocates with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy in November, including a stipend for young lawyers, measures to improve their welfare and others.

Addressing the TPCC Legal Cell State Executive Committee meeting, chaired by Legal Cell chairman Ponnam Ashok Goud here on Saturday, he said the State government had introduced an Advocate Protection Act to ensure the safety of lawyers and called for an increase in stipends for young advocates. He also urged party members to work for the victory of Congress candidates Sama Rammohan Reddy and Ramreddy Sarvotham Reddy in the forthcoming Graduate MLC elections.

Minister Ponnam Prabhakar stressed the need to address advocates’ concerns and said the government would consider providing advocates with opportunities in nominated posts and legal positions. Demands for legal advisory roles, houses and house plots would also be brought to the government’s attention, he added.

Minister G. Vivek Venkataswamy said the party would discuss measures to provide suitable positions to advocates who had worked for the Congress and incorporate proposals favourable to the legal fraternity into the party manifesto.

Minister D. Sridhar Babu said the government would extend Indiramma Accident Insurance coverage to advocates across Telangana and was considering increasing the health insurance limit from ₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh. A meeting involving the Chief Minister, Ministers and representatives of advocates’ associations would be held to discuss their welfare, enhancement of the corpus fund and other pending issues.

Mr. Sridhar Babu said the government was working on filling vacancies for government pleaders, assistant government pleaders, public prosecutors and standing counsel, while considering performance-based assessments. The issue of cut-off marks in the Public Prosecutor examination would also be taken up with the Law Secretary and the Chief Minister, he said.

Telangana advocates were also urged to participate in a programme in New Delhi on November 1 in the presence of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.

AICC Professional Congress chairman Madhu Yashki Goud and other senior leaders participated in the meeting.