Advocate Amarjeet Yadav

First steps

1. Read the section it is issued under. A notice under Section 35(3) of the BNSS asks you to appear; it is not an arrest.
2. Do not ignore it. Note the date, the time and the police station.
3. Gather the papers connected to the complaint: agreements, messages, payment records.
4. If there is a real risk of arrest, anticipatory bail can be sought before the date.
5. Keep a copy of anything you sign at the police station.

Bail and anticipatory bail

First steps

1. Get a copy of the FIR. The accused is entitled to one, and most can be downloaded online.
2. Check the sections: is the offence bailable, and what is the maximum punishment?
3. If arrest is possible, apply for anticipatory bail before it happens.
4. If the dispute is really civil, or has been settled, the High Court can quash the FIR.
5. Do not contact the complainant or the witnesses about the case.

Quashing of FIRs

First steps

1. Ask for the arrest memo and the grounds of arrest. The police must give them, and must inform a relative or friend.
2. The arrested person must be produced before a Magistrate within 24 hours.
3. Note the FIR number, the police station and the investigating officer's name.
4. A bail application can be moved at once before the Magistrate or the Sessions Court.
5. The arrested person has the right to meet a lawyer during interrogation.

Bail and anticipatory bail

First steps

1. A summons under Section 50 of the PMLA has to be answered, and the statement you give there can be used later.
2. Read exactly which documents are asked for, and prepare an indexed set with copies for yourself.
3. Take advice before you go, not after.
4. If arrest is feared, the options in court should be weighed before the date of appearance.

Enforcement Directorate and PMLA

First steps

1. Ask the bank in writing for the name of the police station or agency, and its reference.
2. Write to that police station with documents showing where the money came from.
3. If the account is not released, an application can be made to the court for its release.
4. If you are the one who was defrauded, report it at once on 1930.

Cyber crime and frozen accounts

First steps

1. Note the date of the bank's return memo: the legal notice must be sent within 30 days of it.
2. The drawer then has 15 days from receiving the notice to pay.
3. If the money is not paid, the complaint must be filed within one month after those 15 days.
4. Keep the original cheque, the return memo and proof that the notice was delivered.

Cheque bounce and recovery

First steps

1. Before leaving the home or signing anything, take advice: residence, children and maintenance can all turn on it.
2. Keep copies of the marriage proof, income records and a list of streedhan.
3. Mediation at the Gurugram courts is often the quickest route to a mutual-consent divorce.
4. Interim maintenance can be claimed while the case goes on.

Matrimonial and family disputes