Maharashtra govt allows lawyers & registered clerks to travel in Mumbai local trains

The Maharashtra government on Thursday allowed lawyers and registered clerks to use the Mumbai local trains till November 23 on an experimental basis. This decision will come into effect from the date of receipt of appropriate approval from the Railway authorities. Earlier, only those lawyers who were required to physically appear in the Bombay High Court and registered clerks were permitted to use the Mumbai suburban railway owing to the COVID-19 crisis.

This development comes in the wake of Bombay HC directing the state government to take a speedy decision on allowing lawyers and employees of other sectors to travel by local trains. The government order is applicable to all lawyers registered with the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa. Those violating the terms and conditions for this facility shall be liable for strict disciplinary action by the HC or the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa.

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Here are the conditions imposed by the state government:

• Lawyers and registered clerks can use local trains only in non-peak hours, i.e up to 8 am in the morning, between 11 am and 4 pm and from 7 pm onwards
• Monthly passes will not be issued
• A separate one-way ticket has been purchased for each journey
• A valid identity card issued by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa is required for purchase of ticket
• This ticket is non-transferrable
• This facility cannot be availed for the private or non-professional purpose
• Every lawyer and the registered clerk will have to wear a batch provided by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa
• All travellers will comply with compulsory mask-wearing, maintaining social distancing and frequent use of hand sanitizer

Read: Fadnavis Claims Reduction In COVID-19 Tests In Maharashtra From Oct 1-15, Appeals To CM

COVID-19 crisis in Maharashtra

Currently, there are 16,17,658 novel coronavirus cases in Maharashtra while 14,15,679 patients have recovered and 42,633 fatalities have been reported. The state registered 8,142 fresh cases along with 180 deaths on Wednesday. So far, 83,27,493 samples have been tested for the novel coronavirus in labs operational across the state. While 24,47,292 persons are under home quarantine, 23,312 others have been admitted to institutional quarantine centres. The COVID-19 positivity rate, recovery rate, and fatality rate in Maharashtra stand at 19.43%, 87.51%, and 2.64% respectively. 

Read: Coronavirus LIVE Updates: India's Tally At 77 Lakhs; Bihar & Maha Dy CM Test COVID+ve

Read: India's Active COVID-19 Cases Remain Below 10 Pc Of Total Caseload