Membership of the Fund and payment therefrom.

(1) Every Advocate belonging to the State of Punjab practicing in a court may apply to the Trustee Committee for admission as member of the Fund, in such form as may be prescribed.

(2) On receipt of any application under sub-section (1), the Trustee Committee shall make such enquiry as it deems fit and either admit the applicant to the Fund or, for reasons to be recorded in writing, reject the application: Provided that no order rejecting an application shall be passed unless the applicant has been given an opportunity of being heard.

(3) Every applicant shall pay an application fee of one hundred rupees to the account of the Trustee Committee along with the application.

(4) In the event of rejection of the application, the application fee paid shall be refunded to the applicant.

(5) Where an Advocate is admitted as the member of the Fund, he shall pay to the Fund an amount of rupees one thousand as membership fee either in one instalment or two half-yearly instalments of rupees five hundred each within one year from the date of admission and on such payment, the membership of the Advocate concerned shall, subject to the provisions of sub-section (7), be for his life. The membership fee shall be non-refundable.

(6) Every member shall, at the time of admission to the membership of the Fund, make a nomination conferring on one or more dependents, the right to receive the amount which may be due to him from the Fund in the event of his death before the amount has been paid to him. If a member nominates more than one nominee, he shall specify in the nomination the share payable to each of the nominees: Provided that a member may at any time cancel a nomination by sending a notice in writing to the Trustee Committee along with a fresh nomination.

(7) Every member who voluntarily suspends practice or retires shall, within three months of such suspension or retirement as the case may be, intimate that fact to the Trustee Committee, and if any member fails to do so without sufficient reasons, the Trustee committee, may reduce, in accordance with such principles as may be prescribed, the amount due to that member.