Rajasthan State Govt. Introduces Advocates Protection Bill before state assembly

The State Government of Rajasthan presented the Advocates Protection Bill before the state legislative assembly on Minister Shanti Dhariwal’s behalf on wednesday (15th March 2023) which is expected to be passed on March 22nd, 2023. It was intended to provide protection against the life and property of the advocates.

The bill aims to prevent crimes against advocates such as assault, serious bodily harm, criminal force, criminal intimidation, and loss or damage to an advocate’s property.

Assault, serious bodily harm, criminal force, and criminal intimidation against advocates while they are doing their duties in a courtroom are all prohibited by Section 3 of the Bill.

According to Section 4, the police may, if they believe it is appropriate, offer him protection for the time period and in the way specified by the rules following any report made to them by an advocate regarding any offence listed in Section 3 of the Act that was committed against him.

Penalties under the Bill

Section 5 states aout the penalties.

1. The penalty for assaults or uses of criminal force against an advocate in contravention of section 3 shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years and with fine which may extend to twenty five thousand rupees.
2. The penalty for voluntarily causing grievous hurt to an advocate in contravention of section 3 shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years and with fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees.
3. Whoever voluntarily commits the offence of criminal intimidation against an advocate in contravention of section 3 shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years and fine which may extend up to ten thousand rupees and if the threat be to cause death or grievous hurt, or to cause the destruction of any property by fire, or to cause an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years and with fine which may extend to twenty thousand rupees.

According to Section 8 of the bill, when a court sentences someone to a fine or any other penalty in which a fine is a component, the court has the authority to order that the advocate receive compensation in the amount of the money that was recovered.

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