Delhi High Court Procedure and Working With Us: Questions and Answers

On the Delhi High Court's own website, under case status, using the case number, diary number, party name or advocate's name. This site belongs to a private law firm and is not the court's website. The next date shown in case status is only tentative; the matter is actually taken up only if it appears in the cause list for that day. Check the cause list the evening before, and ask your lawyer to confirm. More on checking case status.

Everything that carries a date. The order you want to challenge, the full lower court or authority file, notices and your replies, FIR or chargesheet copies, agreements, and a one-page timeline in your own words. Bring identity proof, and if someone else will give instructions, an authority letter or power of attorney. When Advocate B.K. Singh meets a client for the first time, he reads the order before hearing the story, because the order shows what the court found and what it missed. See what to bring.

After we have seen the papers. Fees are discussed at the first meeting, once we know what the case needs and what stage it is at, and then agreed in writing. We usually break them down stage by stage, such as drafting and filing, appearances and interim applications, so you know what each step covers before it starts. Court fee, notary charges and other out-of-pocket costs are separate. We do not publish figures on this website, as Bar Council rules restrict advertising. See our process and fees.

Yes, if the urgency is real and properly shown. The advocate files the case and sends an urgency request in the form the court prescribes, saying exactly why it cannot wait, and the matter may be listed the next day, or the same day in exceptional cases. A demolition fixed for the next morning, a person held in illegal custody, or a flight being stopped are the kind of cases that get heard. Urgency you created by sitting on a notice for weeks often does not. See urgent mentioning.

Through the court's e-filing portal. The advocate, or a party in person after registering, uploads the petition, documents and vakalatnama and pays the court fee online. The filing gets a diary number, and the Registry then scrutinises it and either gives it a case number or marks defects. Documents must follow the court's format rules for PDFs, page numbering and bookmarks. Paper filing has largely given way to e-filing, but check the current practice directions. More on e-filing.

Not long, and the clock matters. Defects show up on the e-filing portal, and the petition has to be refiled within the time the rules and practice directions allow. Cross that and you need an application to condone the delay in refiling, which can become a real problem in a time-bound appeal. Common defects are a missing index, illegible annexures, unsigned or wrongly attested affidavits and short court fee. Check the portal daily after filing.

Usually a short hearing, often a few minutes. The bench decides whether to issue notice to the other side, dismiss the case, or dispose of it with a direction, such as asking an authority to decide a pending representation. Any interim relief you asked for is considered then. If notice is issued, the respondent gets time to reply and a next date is fixed. Your lawyer should tell you that evening what happened and what comes next.

The video link for each court is usually published with the cause list on the court's website. Rename yourself as the court's guidelines ask, usually with the item number and your name, keep the microphone muted until called, sit somewhere quiet and dress decently. Parties are generally allowed to watch, while arguments are made by counsel or a party appearing in person. Recording or screenshotting the hearing is not permitted.

Apply to the court's copying branch, online or at the counter, with the case number and order date, and pay the copying fee; urgent copies cost more and come faster. For many purposes, an order downloaded from the court's website with its verification feature is accepted. Some authorities and the Supreme Court may still want a certified copy. If you apply in time, the days spent waiting for it are excluded from limitation under Section 12 of the Limitation Act.

Generally yes, but the amounts vary a lot. Appeals from money decrees pay court fee on the amount in dispute, while writ petitions, criminal petitions and most applications carry small fixed fees. Court fee is paid online and the Registry checks it at scrutiny. The Court Fees (Delhi Amendment) Act 2026 allows a full refund when parties settle (check the details). Look at the current schedule before filing. More on court fees in the Delhi High Court.

The advance list gives an early view of matters likely to come up on a coming date, mostly fresh matters and those with fixed dates. The daily cause list for a particular day is the one that counts: it shows the bench, court number and item number. Supplementary lists add matters later, often urgent ones. On the day, follow the court's display board to see which item is running, so you are not caught outside when your matter is called.

Sometimes. Some adjournments are the court's doing: the bench rose early, the matter was not reached, or the judge was on leave, and nothing can be done about those. If the other side keeps asking for time, your lawyer can oppose it and ask for costs or a "last opportunity" order. In civil cases, Order 17 of the CPC limits each party to three adjournments. Make sure your own side is never the reason.

A caveat under Section 148A of the CPC tells the court that if a case is filed against a particular order, you want to be heard before any interim order is passed. It is useful when you have won in a lower court or tribunal and expect a challenge, or when a decision in your favour, such as a tender award, may be attacked. A caveat lasts 90 days from filing, so renew it if needed. The other side must serve you with a copy of their petition. See caveats in the Delhi High Court.

Get a no objection from the current advocate, ideally written on the new vakalatnama, and file the new advocate's vakalatnama. If the earlier advocate refuses or cannot be reached, the new advocate files the vakalatnama with an application explaining why, and the court usually allows it. Settle any agreed dues in writing to avoid a dispute. Ask for soft copies of everything filed so far.

Yes. NRIs and clients outside Delhi can book a video consultation and send their papers by email beforehand, so Advocate B.K. Singh has read the file before the call. If a case has to be filed or defended, a power of attorney or affidavit can be signed abroad before an Indian embassy or consulate, or before a local notary with an apostille where accepted, and couriered to Delhi. Most hearings can be followed online. Write to us through the contact page with a short note and the country you are in.

Yes, if you are eligible. The Delhi High Court Legal Services Committee provides free legal aid under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987 to women, children, members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, persons in custody, persons with disability, industrial workmen and those whose annual income is below the notified limit (check the current figure). The committee first checks that the case has some substance. Apply at its office in the High Court premises. See free legal aid.

You can file and argue your own case as a party in person. You will register on the e-filing portal in that capacity and may be asked for identity proof. The rules on format, defects and limitation apply to you exactly as they apply to lawyers, and benches expect you to be brief and stick to the record. A friend or relative who is not an advocate cannot argue for you without the court's permission.

Yes, if both sides agree. The Delhi High Court Legal Services Committee holds Lok Adalats, including the periodic National Lok Adalats, for pending cases such as motor accident appeals, matrimonial disputes and some civil and service matters. An award is final and binding like a decree, and no appeal lies against it under Section 21 of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987. Court fee paid can be refunded. Read the terms carefully before signing.

Samadhan is the Delhi High Court Mediation and Conciliation Centre. A trained mediator works with both sides over several sessions, and any settlement is placed before the court to be recorded. A Lok Adalat is a one-day sitting where cases already close to settlement are disposed of. Mediation suits disputes that need time and negotiation: family cases, business partners, property between relatives, commercial claims. The court refers a case, and you can ask for a reference. More on Samadhan mediation.

Not always, but your options narrow. In a civil suit, an order refusing to restore can be appealed under Order 43 of the CPC. In writs and other matters, depending on the case type, an appeal to a Division Bench, a review or a fresh application with better reasons may be open. Where the cause of action continues, a fresh petition may sometimes be possible. Move quickly and explain every missed date honestly. See restoring a dismissed case.

No. A vakalatnama is the written authority you give an advocate to act for you. You can sign it at our office, or abroad and send it by courier; the advocate then accepts and files it. For a company, the signatory needs a board resolution or authority letter, and that should be filed with it. Check that the case details and your name are correct before you sign, because a wrong vakalatnama is a common defect.

Before an oath commissioner or a notary public, and you must sign in their presence with identity proof. If you are abroad, an Indian embassy or consulate can attest it, or a local notary with an apostille where accepted. Many Registry objections come from affidavits: unsigned pages, a missing verification, a date that does not match the petition. Read every page before signing, because the affidavit is your statement on oath.

It means the bench ran out of time before your item came up. Nothing has been decided against you, and the matter will get a new date, which may show up in case status as a fixed date or as "renotify". Check case status that evening or the next morning. If there is genuine urgency, your lawyer can mention the matter for an early date. Repeated "not reached" entries are common in long boards and say nothing about the merits.

For regular matters, quite possibly. The court closes for a summer vacation, usually in June, and a short winter break, but vacation benches sit on notified days to hear urgent matters such as bail, demolition, admissions and urgent stays. Regular matters wait for reopening. To get a vacation listing, you must show why the case cannot wait. Filing continues during the break. Check the vacation notice on the court's website for the dates and the bench roster.

Because procedural stages on the original side, such as service, completion of pleadings, admission and denial of documents and marking of exhibits, are handled by Joint Registrars under the Delhi High Court (Original Side) Rules 2018. A Joint Registrar does not decide the case. But missing a date or a deadline before them can have real consequences, such as the right to file a reply being closed. Treat a Joint Registrar's date as seriously as a court date.

No. The Chief Justice issues a roster that assigns subjects such as bail, service writs, tax and commercial cases to particular benches, and a fresh matter goes to the bench holding that subject on the day of listing. Rosters change from time to time and are published on the court's website. Requests to move a matter to a bench of your choice are not entertained.

In urgent cases, yes, for a short time. The court can pass an interim order without hearing you if the petitioner shows urgency and a strong case, and it then lists the matter again soon so that you can be heard. If you learn of such an order, apply to have it vacated or modified at the earliest; in civil cases, Order 39 Rule 4 of the CPC provides for this. If you saw the case coming, a caveat would have given you a hearing first.

No. The Supreme Court held in R.D. Saxena v. Balram Prasad Sharma (2000) that an advocate has no lien over a client's litigation papers for unpaid fees, and must return them; a fee dispute is a separate matter. Ask in writing. Meanwhile, every order and most filings can be downloaded from the court's website or obtained as certified copies, so your new lawyer need not wait. Keep your own copy of everything filed in future.

Yes. After every hearing we send a short note: what happened, what the bench said, the next date, and what we need from you before then, followed by a copy of the order once it is uploaded. Advocate B.K. Singh prefers to explain an adverse order in a call, not just forward it, so you understand the options and deadlines. You can always check the official position yourself on the court's website. More on how clients are kept updated.

Yes. A second opinion is common in High Court matters, especially before filing an appeal or when a case has dragged on for years. Bring the pleadings, the order sheets and the latest order. You do not have to change your lawyer to get one, and the court is not involved. A second opinion is most useful before a big step: filing an appeal, accepting a settlement or withdrawing a case.

Generally yes. Court proceedings are open, and family members can sit in the courtroom or watch on the video link where allowed. Entry to the High Court needs a pass for litigants and visitors, so carry photo identity and reach early. Some cases, such as certain matrimonial and sexual offence matters, are heard in camera, and then only the parties and lawyers are allowed in. Phones must be silent and photography is not allowed.

The court gives you another chance to serve. Notice usually goes through the Registry by post, courier and email, and the court may also allow you to serve it yourself, called dasti service. If it comes back unserved, check the report: wrong address, refused, or premises locked. A refusal can count as service. For a wrong or old address, file a fresh one, and if the party is avoiding service, ask the court for substituted service, such as publication in a newspaper.

Usually yes, with permission. Documents that came to light later, or that answer the other side's reply, are filed with an application or an additional affidavit explaining why they were not filed earlier. Civil suits are stricter, and commercial suits strictest: documents in your power must be filed with the plaint, and late ones need a good reason. Do not just upload papers without leave, because the court may refuse to look at them. Tell your lawyer about every new document as soon as you find it.

The party against whom costs are imposed pays, in the manner the order directs: to the other side, or to a fund such as the Delhi High Court Legal Services Committee or another body named in the order. Pay within the time given and file proof of payment, because the court can refuse to hear a party that has not paid. Costs are separate from your lawyer's fee and from court fee. If the amount causes real hardship, your lawyer can ask the court to reduce it.

Largely, yes. Only an Advocate-on-Record can file cases in the Supreme Court, so for filing, the firm works with an Advocate-on-Record. Advocate B.K. Singh appears before the Supreme Court and can continue to argue and advise, which keeps the knowledge of your case in the same hands. A special leave petition against a High Court judgment generally has to be filed within 90 days, so start early. More on going to the Supreme Court.