New Delhi- The All-India Lawyers Association for Justice (AILAJ) has released a detailed Lawyers’ Manifesto for the upcoming 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly Elections, scheduled for February 5.

AILAJ, committed to constitutional and democratic values, calls upon contesting candidates to address critical issues facing the legal fraternity, particularly Dalits, Tribals, women, Queer and marginalized communities. It also expresses concern over prevailing corruption and calls for strict measures to combat corruption among judicial officers and court staff.  

Demand for a Delhi Advocates Protection Act

The manifesto's foremost demand is the enactment of a Delhi Advocates Protection Act in response to rising incidents of violence, including acid attacks and stabbings targeting lawyers. Despite over 50,000 lawyers operating in Delhi NCR, the region lacks protective legislation, unlike Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Kerala.

AILAJ insists the Act must include:

• Safeguards against violence, intimidation, and harassment based on caste, class, gender, or identity.

• Establishment of Grievance Redressal Cells within court premises.

• Special security measures for lawyers handling human rights and social justice cases.

• Mechanisms to hold law enforcement accountable for harassment of lawyers.

• Economic and social security provisions to ensure financial stability for lawyers and law clerks.

A draft Bill containing these measures has been prepared for review and circulation.

Economic and Social Security for Lawyers

AILAJ highlights the economic vulnerabilities faced by lawyers from socially discriminated communities, including Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, first-generation lawyers, women, and junior lawyers. Key demands include:

Monthly stipends for lawyers from marginalized backgrounds, Comprehensive medical insurance and pension schemes, Maternity and paternity benefits for legal professionals and Emergency relief funds for lawyers in distress.

The manifesto emphasizes the need for modernization of judicial infrastructure, noting that the poor condition of lower courts hampers access to justice.

AILAJ calls for: Modernized court complexes with adequate space, clean toilets, air-conditioned waiting areas, and steady internet access. Accessibility measures for persons with disabilities, such as ramps, elevators, and braille signage, Reliable Wi-Fi and improved parking facilities for lawyers and litigants and Transparency in judicial budget allocations to ensure effective use of funds.

Gender and Queer Inclusion in the Legal Profession

AILAJ emphasizes the need for gender-sensitive and queer-inclusive reforms within the legal profession. This includes establishing crèche and childcare facilities within court premises, installing sanitary pad kiosks, and promoting flexible work hours. To support gender-diverse and queer lawyers, court documentation, such as appearance slips, should be updated to include pronouns, ensuring respectful and accurate forms of address.

This simple administrative step will affirm the identities of queer lawyers and challenge discriminatory attitudes within the judicial system. Remote hearings must be facilitated to accommodate lawyers with caregiving responsibilities, and concerted efforts should be made to ensure fair representation of women, LGBTQ individuals, and other marginalized groups in senior legal positions and decision-making bodies. The judiciary must actively adopt practices and policies that foster equal opportunities, enabling a truly inclusive and diverse legal profession

AILAJ stresses the urgent need to combat corruption within the judiciary, which undermines public trust and weakens the rule of law. The manifesto demands: Transparency in case listing and allotment processes and Digital tracking systems for judicial proceedings.

The National General Secretary of AILAJ and Bengaluru-based trade union leader, Advocate Clifton D’Rozario, released the manifesto, stating, “Lawyers are an independent pillar of democracy and will never bow to the whims of politicians. This manifesto represents our fight for professional rights—a fight for fundamental protections, without which lawyers cannot fulfill their constitutional duties.”

Supreme Court Advocate Rohin Bhatt emphasized the need for democratization within the judiciary, stating, “The democratization of the judiciary and the legal profession is impossible without gender and queer inclusion. Women and transgender individuals often face harassment in lawyers’ chambers and bar rooms. Separate bar rooms for women, gender and queer sensitivity programs for lawyers, and the establishment of Equal Opportunity Cells in courts are urgently required.”

Advocate Bhatt further suggested that these demands should align with the provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, to make the profession more inclusive and accessible.

Advocate Manju Sharma of the Patna High Court highlighted the issues within the judicial framework, stating, “The current judicial infrastructure appears to be entirely designed for men. First-generation women lawyers, especially those from marginalized communities, struggle even to secure a seat in the bar room. We must ensure reservations for Dalit, Adivasi, and other marginalized community lawyers on government panels so that the profession becomes more inclusive.”