Legal aid lawyers and judicial officers who are working to implement Supreme Court orders to decongest prisons have to be protected against COVID-19 infection, the Delhi High Court said on Tuesday while hearing a plea seeking priority in vaccination for such advocates and judges.

"We cannot say we will not protect you and you have to go to the prisons at your own peril. That cannot be the policy," Justice Navin Chawla said.

The court was hearing a plea by the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA), represented by advocate Ajay Verma, seeking directions to the Centre and Delhi government to urgently vaccinate judicial officers and legal aid lawyers at the vaccination centres set up in district courts.

The court said that legal aid lawyers, who go to jails to meet the prisoners and get their consent for moving bail applications, and the judicial officers hearing such matters are a small subclass which is easily differentiable.

It said that if these lawyers decide to stay at home so as not to risk their lives, "then who will implement the orders of the Supreme Court to decongest jails?"

It said that there is no embargo on the Centre or Delhi government from identifying a certain class, based on their nature of work, for priority in vaccination.

The court asked the DSLSA to prepare a list of the legal aid lawyers and judicial officers who would be in need of the vaccination, so that the same can be shared with the Centre and Delhi government for their consideration.

It said that since the infrastructure and facilities were already in place in the district courts, all that would be required to be done was give such lawyers and judicial officers a priority in vaccination.

"Please see what can be done. You can treat it as a representation," the court said to the two governments and listed the matter for hearing on May 13.

DSLSA in its plea has contended that its legal aid lawyers have "selflessly devoted themselves to the speedy and effective justice delivery mechanism even during the present grave situation" and therefore, they have been "wrongfully and discr      iminatingly excluded from the list of frontline workers" and hence, deprived of priority vaccination.

It has contended that already a number of deaths of lawyers, judicial officers and court staff have occured due to the COVID-19 infection.

It has said that presently there are 15 DSLSA secretaires, 350 regular staff and 1,472 panel lawyers besides 386 para legal volunteers (PLVs) who along with around 6,091 court staff and 665 judicial officers are rendering legal support to the needy persons.

"That in view of the same all the officers deputed in legal services institutions, judicial officers and all the staff members, empanelled lawyers and PLVs at all levels of the legal services network upon registration need to be vaccinated," the plea has said.

It has contended that all these persons should be treated as frontline workers and vaccinated on priority basis.