Supreme Court Bar Association members have called an urgent meeting to oppose the costly new medical insurance scheme. Key concerns include automatic enrollment, high premiums, and misuse of funds.
The members of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) have urgently called for an Emergency General Body Meeting. The main reason for this urgent meeting is to discuss the recently announced medical insurance policy, which was made public on 24.04.2025 and is set to begin from 05.05.2025.
The members have raised serious concerns and are demanding immediate clarification on several points related to this new insurance policy.
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Firstly, the members are asking,
“Why is every voter being automatically issued the policy by default, regardless of whether the member is interested in joining the policy or not?”
They are questioning why no option was given to the members to voluntarily opt-in or opt-out of the insurance scheme.
Secondly, members are also questioning the high rates of the newly negotiated policy.
They have asked,
“Why were higher rates negotiated for the policy when individual policies, couple policies, or policies for smaller families were costing significantly less under the structure of the 2021 policy (for coverage of ₹5 lakhs)?”
To support their concern, members have shared the 2021 insurance rates for ₹5 lakh coverage, which were much lower than the current rates. The rates in 2021 were:
• Self (below 60 years): ₹12,390
• Self (above 60 years): ₹29,500
• Self + Spouse (below 60 years): ₹18,290
• Self + Spouse (above 60 years): ₹43,070
• Self + Spouse + 2 Children: ₹35,400
• Self + Single Parent (up to 85 years): ₹37,760
• Self + Parents (up to 85 years): ₹47,200
• Self + Spouse + 2 Children + Parents (up to 85 years): ₹59,000
In contrast, the members pointed out that under the new insurance policy, a coverage of only ₹2 lakh is costing ₹35,400, and if one wants a ₹5 lakh coverage, the premium is ₹70,800. This high cost is charged irrespective of the family size, which was not the case earlier.
Another major concern raised is regarding the financial management of SCBA funds.
Members are questioning,
“Whether the interest earned on the funds deposited to the SCBA be used to provide a free ₹5 lakh policy for each member? If so, what is the justification for spending the principal sum of ₹10 crore to pay for a policy with only ₹2 lakh coverage for the voting members of SCBA 2024?”
They want to know why such a huge principal amount is being used for a policy with comparatively much less coverage and benefits.
Lastly, members have also raised doubts about the usage of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funds. They are asking,
“Whether CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funds be used to pay the insurance premium for the affluent members of the SCBA?”
They believe that CSR funds should ideally be used to help underprivileged members or for genuine welfare activities, not to subsidize premiums for already well-off members.
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These serious questions have forced the members of SCBA to demand a quick Emergency General Body Meeting so that all these issues can be discussed openly and a better solution can be found before the insurance policy implementation date of 05.05.2025.
The upcoming meeting is expected to witness intense discussions, as members are determined to ensure that transparency, fairness, and the best interests of all SCBA members are kept at the forefront of all decisions.
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