01When you need to send a legal notice
A legal notice is a formal written demand sent before litigation, setting out the facts, the legal basis and the relief sought within a stated period. In Pune a notice is usually drafted and dispatched within two to five working days, and a statutory reply period of fifteen to thirty days is standard depending on the matter.
Clients often arrive with a notice they drafted themselves or downloaded, and the problem is nearly always the same: it threatens everything and commits to nothing. A notice that overstates the claim invites a reply that dismantles it. A notice that states the facts precisely, cites the correct provision and asks for one clearly quantified thing is the one that produces a cheque instead of a defence.
Recovery & cheque bounce
Statutory notice under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, and ordinary demand notices for unpaid dues.
How it worksTenancy & property
Notices to vacate, for arrears of rent, and in respect of encroachment or breach of a leave-and-licence agreement.
How it worksEmployment & contracts
Notices for unpaid salary or dues, breach of contract, and responses to notices from an employer.
How it worksReplying to a notice
A considered reply that protects your position without conceding facts you have not verified.
How it works02How a legal notice is drafted and served
Sending or replying to a legal notice usually runs as follows:
Facts & documents
What happened, in what order, and what you can prove. The strength of a notice is entirely a function of the documents behind it.
Day 1Drafting
The notice is drafted on the correct legal basis, with the relief quantified and a defensible compliance period.
2–5 daysService
Dispatch by registered post with acknowledgement due, courier and email as appropriate. Proof of service is part of the file from the outset.
Same dayReply or filing
Most matters resolve here. If no reply comes, or the reply is unsatisfactory, the notice becomes the foundation of the plaint or complaint.
15–30 days03What we need to draft your notice
Bring to the first meeting
- The agreement, invoice or document the claim arises from
- Correspondence with the other side — emails, letters, messages
- Proof of payment or non-payment (bank statements, receipts)
- The dishonoured cheque and bank memo, in cheque matters
- Any notice you have already received or sent
- Full name and correct address of the person to be served
04How long a legal notice takes
A legal notice is typically drafted and dispatched within two to five working days of the first meeting. Compliance periods vary: fifteen days is mandatory under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, while thirty days is the ordinary convention in civil recovery and tenancy matters. In our experience a meaningful proportion of disputes close at the notice stage without any filing at all, which is exactly what the step is for.
05Common mistakes in legal notices
- Sending an angry notice instead of a precise oneTone costs you nothing at the drafting stage and everything at the hearing, where it is read back to you.
- Overstating the claimAn inflated figure invites a reply attacking the whole notice. Claim what you can document, and no more.
- Serving to the wrong addressService is proved from the record. A notice sent to a stale address is a notice that was never sent, and the limitation clock does not pause for it.
- Ignoring a notice you have receivedSilence is treated as acquiescence and is put to you later. A reply need not concede anything, but it should exist.
06Legal notice drafting fees in Pune
Every engagement begins with a written understanding of the fee structure — consultation, drafting, appearances — before any work starts. We will tell you plainly at the first meeting what your matter involves, and you will never see a charge we did not explain.
What happens at your first consultation
- You talk, we listen. Bring whatever papers you have, organised or not. There is no form to fill and nothing to prepare.
- We tell you where you stand — including the weaknesses in your position. An advocate who only tells you good news is not advising you.
- You get options, not pressure. Sometimes the honest answer is that you do not need to file anything yet.
- Fees in writing before any work begins, so no invoice ever surprises you.
Everything you say is privileged, whether or not you engage the firm. Consultations are held in Marathi, Hindi or English — in person at Kasba Peth, or over video.
Adv. Indrajit Dongre
Leads this practice, appearing before Pune's courts since 1998. Drafting is handled by Adv. Indrajit Dongre with the firm's documentation team.