Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced Rs 5 lakh cashless insurance cover for practising advocates in Uttar Pradesh.
The state government will distribute tablets to 400 law officers to enable quick access to court records and government-related case details.
Financial aid under the lawyers' welfare fund has been increased from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, and the eligibility age limit for deceased advocates' families has been raised to 70 years.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced cashless insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh for practising advocates and a plan to provide tablets to 400 state law officers. He used the occasion to attack the state’s pre-2017 justice and policing system.
The tablets are meant to help law officers access information on government-related cases before the courts. The insurance and technology measures form part of a wider push to modernise justice delivery, improve coordination between police and prosecution and reduce trial delays.
Adityanath also contrasted his government’s record with that of the previous Samajwadi Party government. He said Uttar Pradesh before 2017 faced gaps in governance, transparency, accountability, law and order and judicial infrastructure, not just a shortage of resources.
Pre-2017 Governance
Adityanath sharpened his attack on the previous dispensation. “Before 2017, the challenge before us was not merely of resources. It was also a challenge of the system and approach, transparency and accountability in administration, law and order and judicial infrastructure,” the chief minister said at the Allahabad High Court Bar Association event.
He said nearly 45 to 50 per cent of posts in the Uttar Pradesh Police were vacant before his government took office in 2017. He also pointed to weak training capacity, saying the force could train only about 3,000 personnel annually then, compared with 60,000 now.
Police capacity was a key issue. “There was no training capacity and even basic facilities for the police were lacking,” Adityanath said. He added that his government had strengthened police infrastructure and training facilities across the state.
He extended that criticism to the courts. Many subordinate courts, he said, functioned from dilapidated or temporary buildings before 2017, while district courts in as many as 10 districts ran from rented premises. He also said his government had addressed other shortcomings that had earlier hampered the criminal justice system, including witnesses turning hostile out of fear in serious criminal cases and inadequate arrangements for transporting prisoners from jails to courts.
Technology And Courts
The state is leaning on technology. Adityanath said the government planned to provide tablets to 400 state law officers so they could quickly access records and information on government-related cases before the courts.
He said district courts and jails had been equipped with high-speed internet and video conferencing facilities. The government is also promoting virtual recording of evidence and digitisation of court documents to cut trial delays.
The prosecution system has also moved online. Adityanath said it is now connected to online platforms to ensure timely filing of charge sheets and effective presentation of scientific evidence in court.
He linked that to better outcomes. The government had improved coordination between police and prosecution, and this had led to a significant rise in conviction rates.
He also framed the changes as part of closer institutional coordination. “Today, you can see the results of better coordination between the executive and the judiciary. When we reform and transform, the performance becomes visible on its own,” the chief minister said.
Infrastructure expansion remains part of the plan. Adityanath said integrated court complexes were being developed to house judicial facilities, residential accommodation for judicial officers, chambers for lawyers and other amenities under one roof.
He added that the state would fully support furniture and equipment for chambers built for more than 10,000 lawyers in the multi-level parking and chamber complex. The government would help receive proposals through the judiciary and the chief justice.
Advocate Welfare Measures
Adityanath said the state would introduce a cashless insurance scheme for practising advocates in Uttar Pradesh with coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh.
He also announced a sharp increase in aid under the lawyers’ welfare fund. Financial assistance has been raised from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
Support for families has widened too. The age limit for financial assistance to the families of deceased advocates has been increased from 60 to 70 years.
These measures sit alongside the government’s broader push to improve legal infrastructure and support practising lawyers.
Future Of Justice
Adityanath said the legal profession must prepare for new areas of dispute and regulation. He listed cybercrime, artificial intelligence, data privacy, e-commerce, fintech, intellectual property and climate litigation as emerging challenges.
He put that responsibility squarely on the profession. “A future-ready Bar will lay a strong foundation for a future-ready justice system,” he said, adding that the younger generation of lawyers had a major responsibility in carrying forward the traditions of the Allahabad High Court.
He returned to the issue of delay. “Justice delayed is justice denied,” he said, stressing that timely and impartial justice was necessary to sustain public faith in the judiciary and other democratic institutions.
The chief minister said a strong judiciary forms the foundation of good governance and called for continued coordination and mutual respect between the Bar and the Bench. “Only a future-ready Bar can lay a strong foundation for a future-ready justice system,” he said.
