Grant of Stipend to Junior Advocates Scheme

The scheme "Grant of Stipend to Junior Advocates Scheme" was launched by the Law Department, UT of Puducherry. The scheme aims to provide for monthly financial assistance to 25 numbers of young Junior Advocates in the Union territory of Puducherry, every year. The scheme provides monthly financial assistance of ₹5,000/-, payable to the eligible Junior Advocates for a period of two years or till starting independent practice, whichever is earlier. The scheme is implemented by the Law Department of the UT of Puducherry. The applications for this scheme are accepted in the month of April every year.

• The scheme provides a stipend of ₹5,000/- per month with effect from 01.04.2019.
• The previous stipend amount was ₹3,000/- per month from 01.01.2018 to 31.03.2019.
• The stipend is provided to 25 eligible Junior Advocates every year.

Benefit Disbursal

• Duration Limit: The assistance is provided for a period of two years or till starting independent practice, whichever is earlier, calculated from the date of passing the All India Bar Examination.- Mode: The stipend amount shall be released by Direct Benefit Transfer method.- Review: The performance of Junior Advocates shall be reviewed once in six months before further extending the stipend period.- Undertaking Required: Disbursement is made only after obtaining an Undertaking from the beneficiary.

Conditions

• The beneficiary must comply with Rule 6 of these rules during the period of financial assistance.
• The Junior Advocate must regularly attend the Free legal aid camps conducted by the Union territory of Puducherry Legal Services Authority.
• The Junior Advocate must conduct the legal aid cases allotted to him/her by the Legal Aid Committee and the respective Courts.
• The Junior Advocate must assist the Courts as an Intern.
• The Junior Advocate must regularly attend the Chamber of the Senior Advocate with whom he is attached.
• The Junior Advocate must obtain a regular practice certificate every three months from the President/Secretary of the Bar Association concerned.
• The Junior Advocate must assist on rotation basis, the Government Pleader / Public Prosecutor or Additional Government Pleader / Additional Public Prosecutor or Assistant Government Pleader or Assistant Public Prosecutor within the concerned area of practice at least for a period of three months.
• The beneficiary must undertake to refund the entire stipend received, along with 6% Simple Interest to the Government, in the event they leave the profession within a period of five years from the date of his/her enrolment, unless they have entered Government service.

• The applicant must be a citizen of India.
• The applicant must be a native by birth or resident of the Union territory of Puducherry for a continuous period of five years.
• The applicant must have pursued a Law degree in any Government Law College.
• The applicant must be a Law Graduate.
• The applicant must have enrolled in the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
• The applicant must have passed the All India Bar Examination conducted by the Bar Council of India.
• The applicant's family income must not exceed ₹2,00,000/- per annum.
• The applicant must not be above 30 years of age.
• The applicant must comply with the rules of the scheme guidelines during the period of financial assistance.

Preference, Priority, Reservation, Relaxation, Earmarking, etc.

• Reservation: The Rule of reservation notified by the UT of Puducherry for Government employment shall be followed.- Earmarking: One-third of the beneficiaries shall be women.- Selection Criteria (Merit): Selection will be based on the marks obtained in the qualifying examination (Bachelor's Degree in Law).- Selection Criteria (Merit): Selection will be based on the marks secured in the 12th Standard Board examination.- Selection Criteria (Merit): Negative marks will be applied for additional attempts in the qualifying examination.

Offline

Step 1: The interested applicant should take a printout of the prescribed format of the application form.
Step 2: In the application form, fill in all the mandatory fields, paste the passport-sized photograph (signed across, if required), and attach copies of all the mandatory documents (self-attest, if required).
Step 3: For the Puducherry region, the submission must be made to the General Secretary, Bar Association, Puducherry. For Kariakal, Mahe, and Yanam regions, the application must be submitted to the respective President of the Bar Association concerned.

Post-Application Process

Step 1: Verification of Eligibility
The Member Secretary shall cause to verify the credentials of the applicants and shall forward the applications of the eligible applicants to the State Level Committee.
Step 2: Selection of Beneficiaries
The State Level Committee will select the beneficiaries based on merit, using criteria such as marks obtained in the Bachelor's Degree in Law and the 12th Standard Board examination, while applying the rule of reservation and ensuring one-third of the beneficiaries are women.
Step 3: Expenditure Sanction
The Member Secretary shall forward the list of the selected beneficiaries to the Law Department for obtaining expenditure sanction from the Government.
Step 4: Undertaking Submission
The beneficiary must submit an Undertaking confirming that they will refund the entire stipend amount plus 6% Simple Interest if they leave the profession within five years of enrollment, excluding those who enter Government service.
Step 5: Stipend Disbursement
The monthly stipend shall be disbursed to the selected beneficiaries using the Direct Benefit Transfer method.
Step 6: Performance Review and Compliance
The performance of the Junior Advocates shall be reviewed once in six months before the stipend period is further extended. The Junior Advocate must continuously meet the requisite conditions listed under rule 6 during the period of financial assistance.