Mumbai: A petition has been filed in the Bombay high court seeking quick payments to government pleaders who appeared in high court on behalf of the state government.

The petitioner alleged that state takes almost six months to release professional fees of prosecutors. It also sought that the state should simplify the procedure of submitting bills and records.

The petitioner, advocate Aparna Vhatkar, who worked as an assistant government pleader in the high court, requested the court to issue directions to the state to clear pending bills of all existing and former government pleaders immediately and also direct the state to allocate a sum each year, separately, towards disbursal of fees of government pleaders.

Ms Vhatkar stated that she had submitted bills of Rs 56,359 and it was credited to someone else’s account. She alleged that government does not take payments of fees of its own advocates seriously and that it takes about four to six months to clear their bills.