These notes are written for litigants and for younger members of the Bar. They explain procedure as it operates in the Delhi courts — the sequence of steps, the timelines that matter, and the points at which a matter is commonly lost. They are general information, not advice on any particular case.
Court Fee Cannot Kill a Plaint: SC – Advocate Manish Jha
In Neelam Sharma v. Amita Passan, 2026 INSC 913, the Supreme Court holds that where liability to pay ad valorem court fee depends on disputed facts such as joint possession, the plaint cannot be rejected under Order VII Rule 11 — the fee question awaits evidence.
Read → 27 August 2026 · Criminal LawResisting a Medical Exam: S.186 – Advocate Manish Jha
The Supreme Court quashes an FIR under Sections 186 and 189 IPC, holding that initial resistance to one's own medical examination, followed by compliance, is not obstruction of a public servant.
Read → 27 August 2026 · Commercial & CorporateS.33 Misuse and S.34 Time Limits – Advocate Manish Jha
A Division Bench holds that limitation for a Section 34 challenge runs from disposal of a Section 33 application whatever its merits — while imposing ₹5 lakh costs on DMRC for misusing Section 33 to buy time.
Read → 27 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyEvidence in DV Act Proceedings – Advocate Manish Jha
DV Act cases run before a Magistrate but decide civil reliefs on the balance of probabilities. How affidavits, the DIR, documents and cross-examination actually build the record.
Read → 27 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyDV Act vs Section 85 BNS – Advocate Manish Jha
One is a civil protection regime before a Magistrate; the other a criminal prosecution punishable with imprisonment. How the DV Act and Section 85 BNS (old 498A IPC) differ, combine and settle.
Read → 27 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyMaintenance of Adult Children – Advocate Manish Jha
Section 144 BNSS largely stops at majority, but HAMA and Section 26 HMA carry a parent's obligation further — especially for the unmarried daughter, whose claim includes marriage expenses.
Read → 27 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyInterim vs Final Maintenance – Advocate Manish Jha
The interim order rests on affidavits and a prima facie view; the final order on evidence. What changes between the two stages of a Section 144 BNSS case, and the mistakes each side should avoid.
Read → 27 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyMental Illness as a Divorce Ground – Advocate Manish Jha
Section 13(1)(iii) HMA requires more than a diagnosis: the disorder's kind and extent must make cohabitation unreasonable, proved by medical evidence. What succeeds, and what fails.
Read → 27 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyDivorce under Muslim Law – Advocate Manish Jha
Talaq forms after the 2019 Act, khula and mubarat, and the wife's judicial grounds under the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939 — with the financial consequences of each route.
Read → 27 August 2026 · Criminal LawBail Before the Magistrate: S.480 – Advocate Manish Jha
Most bail litigation begins under Section 480 BNSS (old 437 CrPC): its restrictions for the gravest offences, the provisos for children, women and the sick, and how the first application is run.
Read → 27 August 2026 · Criminal LawThe Triple Test in Bail Matters – Advocate Manish Jha
Flight risk, tampering with evidence, influencing witnesses: how the triple test structures every bail and anticipatory bail hearing, and how each limb is argued and answered.
Read → 27 August 2026 · Criminal LawNo Blanket Anticipatory Bail – Advocate Manish Jha
Section 482 BNSS anchors anticipatory bail to a specific accusation. Why courts refuse blanket orders against future or unspecified FIRs, and the lawful toolkit for serial-FIR situations.
Read →What Is Covered Here
The chamber writes on the areas in which it appears: criminal procedure under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, bail practice, matrimonial and family proceedings before the Delhi Family Courts, cheque dishonour and recovery, and proceedings before the NCLT and the Motor Accident Claims Tribunals. Notes on reported judgments of the Supreme Court of India and the High Court of Delhi are published with a link to the official text of the decision, so that a reader can verify the position rather than rely on a summary.
No article on this page identifies a client or discusses a pending matter conducted by the chamber. Where a statutory provision is cited, the section number is given so that a reader can verify it against the bare Act.