Guides
Plain-language answers to common legal questions
Written to be read before you talk to anyone — not legal advice for your specific situation, but a straight answer to the question most people ask first.
One Stop Centre for women - what Sakhi centres do
Who can use a One Stop Centre, the services it offers, how it links to the 181 helpline, police and courts, and what to expect when you arrive.
Senior citizens' Maintenance Tribunal - how to apply
Who can apply under the 2007 Act, against whom, the Rs 10,000 cap, the 90-day timeline, appeals, and getting back property given to children.
Changing a child's surname after divorce
When consent is enough and when a court is needed, the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling for widowed mothers, and the records to update in order.
Name change by gazette notification - the process
The affidavit, newspaper notices and central or state gazette, what each office accepts, and the order in which to update PAN, Aadhaar, passport and bank records.
How to adopt a child in India through CARA
Who is eligible, the documents, the home study, referral and matching, the District Magistrate's adoption order and the follow-up visits.
Marriage certificate apostille - how to get it done
When an apostille is needed, the state verification step that comes first, how the MEA stamps it, and what to do for countries outside the Convention.
Marriage registration in India - documents and process
Registering a Hindu, Muslim, Christian or court marriage, the documents registrars usually ask for, late registration, and why the certificate matters.
Special Marriage Act procedure - notice to certificate
Who can marry under the 1954 Act, the notice and objection period, the declaration and ceremony, and what changes for property and succession.
How to report child sexual abuse under POCSO
Reporting under section 19 of the POCSO Act, the child-friendly rules for statements and medical examination, and the support the family can ask for.
SC/ST Atrocities Act complaint - step by step
Registering the FIR, the duty on officials, the Special Court, the staged relief payments and the rights the Act gives victims and witnesses.
How to meet a prisoner in jail - e-Mulakat booking
Booking a meeting with a relative in jail, the identity you need, what you can and cannot take in, and how lawyers meet clients.
Section 479 BNSS - release of undertrial prisoners
How to work out the time served, who is excluded, the jail superintendent's duty to apply, and what the family can do.
Community service as punishment under the BNS
The six offences where a court can order unpaid work for the community instead of jail or a fine, and how it fits with the rest of a criminal case.
Police search without a warrant - your rights
When a warrantless search is allowed under the BNSS, the safeguards that apply, what happens to your phone, and how to get seized things back.
How to get a copy of a post-mortem report
The inquest report and post-mortem papers you will need for insurance, compensation and the criminal case, and how to get them.
Good Samaritan law in India - helping at an accident
Section 134A of the Motor Vehicles Act, what the police and hospital can and cannot ask of you, and why you never have to be a witness.
Lost or stolen phone? Block it on CEIR, step by step
How to report a lost or stolen mobile, block its IMEI across every Indian network, and unblock it if the phone comes back.
How to file a missing person report with the police
What to tell the police, why a missing child is always an FIR, and the steps that help in the first days.
Pending criminal case and a government job: what to know
The Supreme Court's rules from Avtar Singh (2016), and how to disclose an FIR, a trial or an acquittal honestly.
Received a court summons in a criminal case? First steps
How a summons differs from a warrant, what happens on the first date, and how to avoid a warrant being issued.
Summoned as a witness in a criminal case? What to do
Your duty to attend, what happens in the witness box, the expenses you can claim, and protection if you are threatened.
Acid attack victim rights - free treatment and compensation
Free treatment under section 397 BNSS, the compensation routes, the disability certificate, and how the criminal case runs.
Hit and run compensation - Rs 2 lakh scheme, how to claim
Who qualifies, where to file Form I, the documents you need, how payment reaches your bank, and what changed in 2026.
Victim compensation scheme - how to apply in India
Who can claim, the three ways a claim starts, the documents the Legal Services Authority asks for, and interim relief.
How to file a complaint against a police officer in India
Which forum fits which kind of misconduct, what to put in writing, and the time limits that can shut a door.
NCR vs FIR - the difference, and when you need an FIR
Why the police sometimes give you an NCR instead of an FIR, how to check the offence, and what to do next with an NCR.
Rights of an arrested person in India, under the BNSS
What the police must do at the moment of arrest, at the station and within 24 hours, with the section for each right.
How to get an FIR copy - free, online or from the court
Your right to a free copy, where FIRs are published online, the cases kept offline, and how an accused person gets one.
How to get money back after cyber fraud in India
Where held money sits, the court order that releases it, and when your bank has to refund you instead.
Police not registering your FIR? What to do next
The three steps the law gives you when a police station will not write down your complaint, and what each one needs.
Report online fraud on 1930 - the first hour, step by step
Who to call first, the details that let money be frozen, and the mistakes that cost victims their chance.
Zero FIR and e-FIR - how to file one, online or offline
Why the station's area does not matter, how an online FIR becomes official, and the three-day signature rule.
How cheque bounce cases work under Section 138
The notice, the 15-day window, and what actually happens if it goes to trial.
What mutual consent divorce actually costs and takes
The two motions, the six-month wait, and where the real costs come from.
What to do if you're named in an FIR
The first 48 hours matter more than almost anything that follows.
Builder delayed your flat? What RERA can actually do
A faster forum than civil court, with real, specific remedies for delay.
Your health insurance claim was rejected — what now
Rejections based on "pre-existing disease" are often challengeable, not final.
Terminated without notice? What Indian labour law actually says
What you're owed depends heavily on whether you're a "workman" under the law.
