West Bengal Bar Council vice-president Siddhartha Mukherjee on Monday wrote to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking monetary help for some lawyers who have no income as the normal functioning of courts was suspended across the state because of Covid-19.

Uttam Majumdar, an executive body member of the state Bar Council, said there were thousands of lawyers who were completely depended on their daily income.

“As lawyers are not in position to attend courts, a large section of the council’s members have approached us seeking financial help. So, Siddhartha Mukherjee has to seek financial assistance from the Centre,” Majumdar said.

Majumdar, however, said Mukherjee had sent the letter on his own and the council was yet to take any decision on seeking help from the Centre. The executive committee of the Calcutta High Court Bar Association has decided to give financial assistance to lawyers who were not in position to meet day-to-day expenses.

Association president Ashok Dhandhania said: “Our needy members have been asked to file online applications seeking help from the association. They have also been asked to mention their bank account numbers in their application. After brief scrutiny, Rs 2,000 will be deposited in the bank accounts of each applicant.”