Lawyers get pay hike under Modi government, expense proof must to claim reimbursements

NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government has loosened the purse strings for its legal eagles. Retainership fees of the Attorney General, the chief legal advisor, the Solicitor General and Additional Solicitors General have been increased by 50%, according to a government notification. The fees of senior counsels on the government’s panel have also been raised by 50%, while that of junior lawyers on the panel has gone up by 67%.

While the lawyers have got a raise after demanding a hike for the past four years, at the same time, it has become tougher for them to claim reimbursements for “unsubstantiated” bills. The government has plugged this loophole and asked lawyers to furnish proof to back their claimed expenses.

“Until now, certain claims used to be filed supported only with self-attested claims that a certain amount of money was spent in conference or other activities. Now the payment has been made strict,” a senior assistant solicitor general told ET, requesting anonymity.

Also, from the current financial year, tax deducted at source will increase to 10% of the legal fee bills of government lawyers from 2% previously. As per the revised rates applicable from October 1, the Attorney General’s retainership fees have been increased to Rs 75,000 per month from Rs 50,000. The Solicitor General will receive Rs 60,000 as against Rs 40,000 earlier, while the Additional Solicitors General will get Rs 45,000.

For all three categories, the legal fees for writ petitions has been increased to Rs 24,000 per appearance from Rs 16,000, while for special leave petitions, the amount has been hiked to Rs 15,000 per case per day from Rs 10,000.