Questions people ask us

Fill the form on this site, or call the office during working hours. You will be asked what the problem is and what papers you have, so the first meeting is useful and not spent collecting basics. You can meet in person, on the phone, or by video call.

Yes. What you tell an advocate while asking for legal help is protected by law — Section 132 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. That protection starts at the first meeting, whether or not you go ahead and hire the office.

It depends on the court and on the other side. You will be given an honest time range for your own case at the first meeting. You do not need to come for most routine hearings. You are needed for evidence, for cross-examination, and whenever the judge asks for you — and you will be told well in advance.

It depends on the type of case. For money owed under a written agreement it is three years from the date the payment became due. To force someone to complete a sale it is three years from the date fixed in the agreement. To recover property you own it is twelve years. These limits come from the Limitation Act, 1963. A case filed even one day late can be thrown out no matter how strong it is — which is why dates are checked first.

Often, and it is usually worth trying. A legal notice, a correction deed, or mediation under section 89 of the Civil Procedure Code can close many disputes for a fraction of the cost and time. If that route will work for you, you will be told — even though it earns this office less.

It is an order from the court saying that if the police arrest you, you must be released on bail. It comes under section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. You can apply as soon as you have a real reason to fear arrest — you do not have to wait until an FIR names you. Applying early is almost always better than applying after you are arrested.

The BNS, BNSS and BSA replaced the old criminal laws on 1 July 2024. If the offence is said to have happened before that date, the old Indian Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code still decide the case. The court procedure followed from that date onward is generally the new one. So which set applies depends on when the offence is alleged to have taken place.

Thirty years. That is the period after which someone who has held land openly can claim it as their own under the Limitation Act, 1963, so anything shorter can hide a claim. Take the encumbrance certificate for the same thirty years and check it against the patta and chitta. Remember that registering a sale deed does not by itself prove the seller owned the land.

No. A patta is a revenue record. It shows who pays the land tax and who is recorded as being in possession. Courts treat it as proof of possession, not of ownership. Ownership comes from the registered sale deeds and other documents in the chain.

Not while the family members are still holding the property jointly, because in law one person holding it counts as all of them holding it. The clock only starts when one of them clearly and openly denies the others their share, and they come to know of it.

Usually six to eighteen months. Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 asks for a six-month gap between the first and second court appearance. The Supreme Court has said this gap can be skipped where the couple has already lived apart a long time and the settlement is genuine. A contested divorce takes much longer.

Yes. You can ask for maintenance during the case under section 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act, or under section 144 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. The court decides it on what each side earns and needs, and it is decided long before the main case is heard.

No. The old time limit was removed, so a claim under section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 can be filed at any time. Waiting still hurts you in practice — records go missing and witnesses become hard to find — so it is not a reason to delay.

The FIR and charge sheet, the wound certificate or post-mortem report, hospital records and bills, proof of income, the disability certificate if one was given, and the vehicle and insurance details. Bring whatever you have to the first meeting — what is missing can usually be obtained later.

There are three, and all of them are strict. The cheque must be given to the bank within three months of the date written on it. A written demand notice must be sent within thirty days of the bank returning it. If the money is not paid within fifteen days of that notice, the complaint must be filed in the next thirty days. Missing any one of them usually ends the case.

Yes. This is one of the offences the law allows the two sides to settle, and courts encourage it — often at the very first hearing. Settling early usually costs the accused less than fighting, and gets the complainant paid sooner than a trial would.

Three months from the incident, or from the last one if it happened more than once. The Internal Committee can give you three more months if it is satisfied that something genuinely stopped you from complaining earlier.

Yes, if there are ten or more employees. The 2013 Act requires it in every workplace of that size, whatever the business. Not having one attracts a fine, and repeatedly failing to set one up can affect the licence or registration of the business.

At the District Consumer Commission for the place where you live or work, or where the other party does business. Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 the district commission handles claims up to ₹50 lakh. Anything above that goes to the State Commission.

Two years from the date the problem happened. A later complaint can still be accepted if you can satisfy the commission that there was a good reason for the delay — but you have to apply for that and explain it.

Usually yes — registration is not what makes an agreement binding. But some documents must be registered before a court will even look at them, including most transfers of land and buildings worth over ₹100. And if the correct stamp duty was not paid, the court can hold the document back until it is.

Not to have rights. A name you have used honestly in business is already protected, and you can stop a copycat by suing for passing off. Registering it makes that much easier, because then you sue for infringement without first having to prove that people know your name.