Court
What a vakalatnama is
A vakalatnama is the instrument by which a party authorises an advocate to appear, act and plead on their behalf in a particular matter before a particular court. It is filed in the court record. It carries a court-fee stamp rather than ordinary stamp duty, and it is not a document that goes to the Sub-Registrar or requires notarisation.
What it authorises — and what it does not
- It authorises the advocate to appear, act and plead in the matter named.
- It is matter-specific. A vakalatnama filed in one case does not authorise appearance in another, and a fresh one is needed in an appeal.
- It does not authorise the advocate to compromise the case, withdraw it, or receive money on your behalf unless it expressly says so. Read the printed form; some standard forms include wide authority and it is legitimate to ask about it.
- It is not a general power of attorney. It gives no authority to deal with your property or your bank accounts. Powers of attorney →
A party may change advocate. In practice a fresh vakalatnama is filed and, depending on the court's practice, a no-objection from the previous advocate is expected. Where fees remain outstanding that can become a point of friction, so it is better dealt with directly and early than left to surface at a hearing.
Signing it
The party signs, and the advocate accepts. Where the party is a firm or a company, the person signing needs authority — a board resolution or a partner's authority — and the court will expect to see it. Where a party cannot attend court, that is a separate question about representation and should be raised at the outset rather than on the day.
Court matters are handled here by Advocate N. J. Parmar. Court matters →
Drafted here, in Gujarati or English
Drafted by an advocate of 35+ years rather than filled into a downloaded template, e-stamped at a Government authorised centre, and notarised in the same visit. If the parties read Gujarati, the document is drafted in Gujarati — not translated out of an English form, because legal Gujarati has its own settled vocabulary and a literal translation frequently means something looser.
What to bring
- Photo ID for the party
- Details of the court, case number and other parties, if known
- Authority to sign where a firm or company is a party
- Any earlier vakalatnama in the same matter