Advocate
Service, bail, cheque bounce, protection and quashing matters. Chambers at the High Court, Chandigarh and the District Courts, Panchkula.
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Choose a type of matter to see your message.
Send on WhatsAppMost of the chamber’s work falls in these four areas. Open any of them for the matters covered, the courts involved and the documents to bring.
CAT, Chandigarh Bench; High Court; Supreme Court
Disputes of government and public-sector employees over appointment, promotion, pay, discipline and retirement benefits.
Applications before the CAT are generally filed within one year of the final order.
Sessions Courts; High Court; Supreme Court
Regular, anticipatory and interim bail, including bail under the NDPS Act and other special laws.
Anticipatory bail is sought before arrest, so it helps to act as soon as an FIR or complaint is known.
Magistrate courts, including the NI Act court at Panchkula; Sessions Courts; High Court
Complaints under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, for the person who received the cheque and for the person who issued it.
The legal notice must go out within 30 days of the bank’s return memo. Check your dates
High Court; Supreme Court
Petitions for police protection of life and liberty, and petitions to quash FIRs and criminal proceedings.
Protection petitions are usually listed urgently. Keep a copy of any complaint already given to the police.
Several matters run against fixed deadlines set by law. If one of these applies to you, it is better to speak to the chamber early.
30days
From receiving the bank’s return memo to sending the legal notice under Section 138.
90days
A special leave petition against a High Court judgment is generally filed within 90 days.
1year
From the final order, under Section 21 of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985.
2years
From the date the cause of action arose, under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The full range of work, with the courts and tribunals where each kind of matter is heard. Open any area for details.
The chamber appears regularly before these courts and tribunals. The High Court and the District Courts each have a page of their own.
The common High Court for Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, sitting in Le Corbusier’s Palace of Justice since 1955.
History and details of the courtSessions, civil, family and magistrate courts for Panchkula district, a separate sessions division since 2005, with an exclusive court for cheque bounce cases.
History and details of the courtsSection 138 cases run on short, fixed windows. Enter your dates to see the deadlines that apply.
The slip from your bank saying the cheque was returned unpaid.
Add this once the person who issued the cheque has received your notice.
Enter the return memo date
Last date to send the legal notice
30 days from receiving the return memo, under Section 138(b).
Needs the notice delivery date
Payment period ends
The person who issued the cheque has 15 days from receiving the notice to pay, under Section 138(c).
Needs the notice delivery date
Complaint can be filed from
The day after the payment period ends, if the amount has not been paid.
Needs the notice delivery date
Last date to file the complaint
Within one month of that date, under Section 142(1)(b). A late complaint needs the court to condone the delay.
Indicative only. Holidays and the facts of your case can change these dates.
Discuss these datesWhat happens after you get in touch, so you know what to expect before the first meeting.
Call, send a WhatsApp message or use the enquiry form with a short description of the matter. Keep confidential details for the meeting.
Meet at the High Court or Panchkula chamber, or by video or phone. Fees are explained in writing before anything is agreed.
Once the vakalatnama is signed, the matter is prepared and filed, and you are told each listing date as it comes up.
Himali Baweja is an advocate practising before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh, with chambers at the High Court and at the District Courts, Panchkula. A short factual background on education, year of enrolment and areas of work goes here.
Enrolment details can be verified with the State Bar Council.
No. The first discussion can be on the phone or by video, and documents can be shared on WhatsApp or by email. Some steps, such as signing the vakalatnama, need your signature on paper.
It depends on the matter. A bail application usually goes first to the Sessions Court and then to the High Court. Cheque bounce complaints are filed before a magistrate. Service disputes of central government employees go to the CAT. The chamber will confirm the right forum after seeing your papers.
Fees depend on the court, the kind of matter and the stage it is at. They are explained to you in writing before you decide to go ahead.
Yes. Even so, please keep the first message short and leave sensitive details for the meeting. Contacting the chamber does not by itself create an advocate–client relationship; that begins once you engage the chamber in writing or sign a vakalatnama.
Yes. Meetings can be held by video, and where the law requires someone to act in India, a power of attorney can be used.
A High Court judgment can be challenged through a special leave petition, generally within 90 days. Matters in the Supreme Court are filed through an Advocate-on-Record, as its rules require.
An identity proof and the main papers: the FIR, order, notice or agreement your matter is about, and any letters exchanged. Each practice area above lists the documents usually needed.
Meetings are by prior appointment at either chamber, or by video.