Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The first conversation — on the phone, on WhatsApp or at the Civil Lines chamber — costs nothing and carries no obligation. You will get a read on your position and an indication of cost before any engagement is discussed.

Fees vary with the forum, the stage at which you engage and the complexity of the matter. A single bail application before the Sessions Court and a contested NDPS trial are not comparable pieces of work. What is fixed is the method: a written quote before work begins, and no revision mid-matter without a fresh discussion.

No, and neither can anyone else. Outcomes depend on the facts, the evidence, the provisions invoked and the court. What you can reasonably expect is an honest assessment, competent preparation and appearance on every date. Treat a guaranteed result as a reason to walk away.

The advocate you consult appears. Juniors assist with drafting, filing and administrative appearances, but arguments in your matter are made by the person who assessed it.

Yes, and a large share of the practice works that way. Consultations by phone and video, documents by WhatsApp or email, and appearance on your behalf wherever personal presence is not legally required. Cyber complaints in particular are often registered in a district the client has never visited.

The line is answered around the clock. Genuine emergencies — an arrest in progress, a hearing listed tomorrow, an account frozen today — are triaged ahead of everything else. Say at the start of the call that it is urgent.

Call 1930 or file at cybercrime.gov.in immediately, and inform your bank in writing the same day, keeping the acknowledgement. Under the RBI's limited-liability framework, an unauthorised third-party transaction reported within three working days generally leaves you with zero liability; delay shifts the loss onto you. Early reporting also gives a genuine chance of the funds being held before withdrawal.

Almost always because funds from a complaint filed somewhere in India were traced into your account, directly or through intermediate accounts. Common innocent categories are sellers paid with tainted money, crypto P2P traders, and account holders several hops down a payment chain. Being in the trail and being an accused are different things.

There is no statutory timeline. A single complaint with a small disputed amount and a cooperative investigating officer can often be resolved at the representation stage within weeks. Several complaints linked across states take considerably longer, and partial release is usually the realistic objective. Anyone quoting a guaranteed number of days is guessing.

Usually yes, and it is the strongest argument available. Where a small sum is disputed but the whole balance has been blocked, courts have consistently held that the freeze should extend only to the disputed amount. Proportionate release of the undisputed balance is a standard prayer and is frequently granted.

It depends on the sections. Most standalone IT Act offences carry a maximum of three years and are bailable. Once Section 318 BNS (cheating, formerly Section 420 IPC) is added, the offence becomes non-bailable and bail must be applied for and argued. Check the FIR's section list before assuming.

In appropriate cases, yes, under Section 528 BNSS before the High Court — where the FIR discloses no offence, where the dispute is essentially civil or contractual, or where the parties have genuinely settled a compoundable matter. It is discretionary and turns on the material on record.

The legal notice must reach the drawer within thirty days of your receiving the bank's dishonour memo. He then has fifteen days to pay, and the complaint must be filed within the following thirty days. Missing the notice window extinguishes that cause of action permanently.

Often. The offence is compoundable, courts encourage settlement, and the compounding costs prescribed by the Supreme Court rise the later the settlement comes. For a drawer who cannot realistically pay, early settlement almost always costs less than years of appearances.

Ordinarily six to eight months, comprising both motions and the statutory cooling-off period. Where the parties have been separated for a long time and the settlement is complete, waiver of the cooling-off period can be sought following Amardeep Singh v. Harveen Kaur, and matters have concluded in two to three months.

Anticipatory bail for everyone named is the immediate priority. Following Arnesh Kumar v. State of Bihar, automatic arrest is not permitted in most such cases and a notice under Section 35(3) BNSS should be issued instead. Relatives named without any specific allegation against them are strong candidates for quashing.

Yes. Two consenting adults have the right to marry a person of their choice, and the Supreme Court has affirmed this repeatedly. Where there is a genuine apprehension of harm, a protection petition can be filed before the Punjab & Haryana High Court seeking police protection, and such petitions are commonly heard quickly.