Indian Legal Guidance

Guidance of Law: Legal Rights, Procedures and Important Indian Laws

A practical starting point for understanding Indian laws, court procedures, legal rights, complaints, petitions, registrations, cheque dishonour matters and frequently used legal provisions.

Important criminal-law update: The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA) came into force on 1 July 2024. They replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and Indian Evidence Act, 1872 respectively, subject to statutory saving and transition provisions. Legacy pages below remain useful for proceedings and issues governed by the earlier enactments.
Current criminal law BNS governs substantive offences, BNSS governs criminal procedure, and BSA governs the law of evidence for the current statutory framework.
Civil and commercial procedure Guidance includes CPC remedies, summary suits, registration of documents and cheque dishonour proceedings.
Family and matrimonial law Includes divorce, matrimonial petitions, maintenance-related guidance and domestic-violence resources.
Legal formats Access complaint, affidavit, petition, suit, agreement, deed, legal-notice and other court-document formats.

Current Criminal Laws: BNS, BNSS and BSA

Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 - Cheque Dishonour

The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 continues to govern negotiable instruments, including the statutory framework for cheque dishonour under section 138 and connected provisions.

Registration Act, 1908 - Registration of Documents

The Registration Act, 1908 remains an important central law concerning compulsory and optional registration, presentation of documents, place and time of registration, and the effect of registration or non-registration. State amendments, stamp laws and local registration rules may also apply.

Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (CPC)

The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 continues to regulate civil-court procedure, subject to amendments, special statutes, High Court rules and applicable state amendments.

Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and Matrimonial Law

The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 continues to govern specified Hindu marriages and matrimonial remedies including restitution, judicial separation, nullity, divorce, mutual-consent divorce, maintenance and related reliefs.

Indian Evidence Act, 1872 - Legacy and Saved Proceedings

The Indian Evidence Act, 1872 has been repealed by the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 with effect from 1 July 2024, subject to the saving provisions governing proceedings already pending immediately before commencement of the new law.

Indian Penal Code, 1860 - Legacy and Saved Proceedings

The Indian Penal Code, 1860 has been repealed by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 from 1 July 2024, subject to the repeal-and-savings provisions. IPC resources therefore remain relevant for offences and proceedings governed by the former law.

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 - Legacy and Saved Proceedings

The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 has been repealed by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 from 1 July 2024. The BNSS contains saving provisions for proceedings that were pending immediately before commencement, so older CrPC materials continue to have relevance in appropriate cases.