Yogi Announces ₹5 Lakh Cashless Health Cover for UP Advocates; 400 Law Officers to Get Tablets
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a series of major welfare and infrastructure measures for the state’s legal fraternity, including cashless medical insurance of up to ₹5 lakh annually for practising advocates. The announcements were made on September 14 at a felicitation programme organised by the Allahabad High Court Bar Association in Prayagraj.
The proposed cashless health cover is aimed at advocates practising in the Allahabad High Court as well as district courts across Uttar Pradesh. The move is being positioned as a significant expansion of social-security support for lawyers, particularly those who may face substantial medical expenses during their professional careers.
Yogi Adityanath also announced that the Advocate Welfare Fund assistance would be increased from ₹1.5 lakh to ₹5 lakh. At the same time, the age limit for financial assistance to the families of deceased advocates has been raised from 60 to 70 years, widening the eligibility period for such support.
Another major announcement concerns technology. Around 400 state law officers are set to receive tablets to help them access government case information, court records and other legal material more efficiently. The government has also already increased the fees of state law officers by more than 50%, according to the chief minister.
The technology push comes as Uttar Pradesh seeks to expand digitisation across its justice system. Yogi said high-speed internet and video-conferencing facilities have been introduced in district courts and jails, while digital court records and virtual recording of evidence are being promoted to help reduce delays in trials.
Infrastructure for lawyers was another central part of the announcements. The chief minister said chambers and related facilities have been constructed for more than 10,000 advocates as part of a large multi-level parking and chamber complex at the Allahabad High Court.
The project has involved an expenditure of around ₹700 crore, according to Yogi. The complex includes facilities such as parking, common areas, a library and other amenities intended to provide lawyers with a more organised working environment.
The government has also promised support for furniture and essential equipment for chambers constructed for more than 10,000 advocates. Yogi said proposals submitted through the judiciary, the Chief Justice or Bar Associations would receive government support.
The chief minister further pointed to the construction or development of advocate chambers in several districts, including Kaushambi, Lucknow, Kasganj and Shravasti. He said integrated court complexes were also progressing in 10 districts that previously lacked their own dedicated district-court complexes.
Yogi presented the measures as part of a broader effort to modernise judicial infrastructure and strengthen the relationship between the Bar, Bench and government. He stressed that public confidence in the justice system depends on timely, transparent and impartial delivery of justice.
Addressing younger lawyers, the chief minister urged them to prepare for a rapidly changing legal environment. He specifically pointed to emerging areas including artificial intelligence, cybercrime, data privacy, fintech, e-commerce, intellectual property and climate litigation.
He argued that future lawyers would need technological as well as legal expertise, describing a “future-ready Bar” as essential to building a stronger justice system. The emphasis reflects the increasing role of digital evidence, electronic records and emerging technologies in litigation and legal administration.
The announcements also carried a clear political dimension. Yogi contrasted his government’s record with the situation before 2017, claiming that Uttar Pradesh had then faced major gaps in governance, law and order and judicial infrastructure. He said 45–50% of police posts had been vacant and that police training capacity had subsequently expanded from about 3,000 personnel a year to 60,000.
On judicial infrastructure, he said district courts in 10 districts had previously operated from rented or temporary premises, while advocates in several locations worked from inadequate chambers. The government now says it is addressing these infrastructure gaps through new court complexes and lawyers’ facilities.
The announcements collectively represent a broad package covering health security, financial assistance, professional infrastructure and digital tools for Uttar Pradesh’s legal community. The key question now will be how quickly the promised cashless insurance scheme is implemented, including its eligibility conditions, empanelled hospitals and operational mechanism.
For advocates, the ₹5 lakh health cover and enhanced welfare assistance could provide a significant new layer of financial protection. For the state’s judicial administration, the tablets, digitisation measures and infrastructure investments indicate a parallel push to make legal work more technology-driven and better integrated with an increasingly digital court system.
