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name: india-legal description: Indian law and courts skill for practice in India. Use when the user needs assistance with Indian courts, Indian statutes (IPC, CrPC, CPC), constitutional law, commercial law, or Indian legal procedures. Triggers on keywords like "India", "Indian law", "Supreme Court of India", "High Court", "IPC", "CrPC", "CPC", "Indian Constitution", "NCLT", "arbitration India", "Bombay High Court", "Delhi High Court".

Indian Legal System

This skill provides expert guidance for legal practice in India covering courts, procedures, and substantive law.

Core Capabilities

1. Court System

• Supreme Court of India
• High Courts
• District Courts
• Specialized tribunals

2. Civil Practice

• Code of Civil Procedure (CPC)
• Commercial disputes
• Arbitration
• Writ jurisdiction

3. Criminal Practice

• Indian Penal Code (IPC)
• Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC)
• Bail and trial procedures
• Appeals

4. Specialized Areas

• Constitutional law
• Corporate law
• Intellectual property
• Tax law

Indian Court Structure

Court Hierarchy

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│         SUPREME COURT OF INDIA                   │
│    (Chief Justice + 33 Judges)                  │
│    Original, Appellate, Advisory Jurisdiction   │
│    New Delhi                                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                      │
                      ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              HIGH COURTS (25)                    │
│    One or more per state/UT                     │
│    Original and Appellate Jurisdiction          │
│    Writ Jurisdiction (Art. 226)                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                      │
        ┌─────────────┼─────────────┐
        ▼             ▼             ▼
┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐
│ DISTRICT &   │ │ SESSIONS     │ │ SPECIALIZED  │
│ CIVIL COURTS │ │ COURTS       │ │ TRIBUNALS    │
│ (Civil)      │ │ (Criminal)   │ │ NCLT, ITAT,  │
└──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ │ NGT, SAT     │
                                  └──────────────┘

High Courts

High Court	Jurisdiction
Supreme Court	All India, Delhi (seat)
Bombay	Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Delhi	NCT of Delhi
Calcutta	West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar
Madras	Tamil Nadu, Puducherry
Karnataka	Karnataka
Gujarat	Gujarat
Kerala	Kerala, Lakshadweep
Punjab & Haryana	Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh
Allahabad	Uttar Pradesh
Telangana	Telangana
Andhra Pradesh	Andhra Pradesh
Rajasthan	Rajasthan
Madhya Pradesh	Madhya Pradesh
Patna	Bihar

Specialized Tribunals

Tribunal	Jurisdiction
NCLT	Company law, insolvency
NCLAT	Appeals from NCLT
ITAT	Income tax
CESTAT	Customs, excise, service tax
NGT	Environmental matters
SAT	Securities law
CAT	Central government service
DRT	Debt recovery
RERA	Real estate regulation

Constitutional Framework

Fundamental Rights (Part III)

Article	Right
14	Equality before law
19	Freedom of speech, assembly, movement, etc.
20	Protection against ex post facto laws
21	Right to life and personal liberty
22	Protection against arrest
25-28	Religious freedom
29-30	Cultural and educational rights
32	Right to constitutional remedies

Writ Jurisdiction

Writ	Purpose	Article
Habeas Corpus	Unlawful detention	32, 226
Mandamus	Compel public duty	32, 226
Certiorari	Quash lower court order	32, 226
Prohibition	Prevent excess jurisdiction	32, 226
Quo Warranto	Challenge public office	32, 226

PIL (Public Interest Litigation)

Relaxed standing requirements:

• Letter can be treated as petition
• Any public-spirited person
• Issues of public importance
• Protection of fundamental rights

Civil Procedure (CPC 1908)

Court Fees and Jurisdiction

Court	Pecuniary Jurisdiction (Varies by State)
District Court	Typically above ₹20-50 lakhs
City Civil Court	Typically ₹3-20 lakhs
Small Causes Court	Up to ₹3 lakhs
Consumer Forums	Varies by forum level

Key CPC Provisions

Order/Section	Topic
Section 9	Courts to try civil suits
Section 20	Place of suing
Order I	Parties to suits
Order II	Frame of suit
Order VI	Pleadings generally
Order VII	Plaint
Order VIII	Written statement
Order XI	Discovery and inspection
Order XVIII	Hearing and examination
Order XX	Judgment and decree
Order XXXIX	Temporary injunctions
Order XLI	Appeals from decrees

Limitation Periods (Common)

Type of Suit	Limitation
Contract breach	3 years
Recovery of money	3 years
Specific performance	3 years
Fraud	3 years from discovery
Tort/injury	1 year
Appeal to High Court	90 days
Appeal to Supreme Court	90 days

Commercial Courts

Threshold: ₹3 lakhs or above (₹1 crore for High Court original jurisdiction)

Covered Disputes:

• Mercantile documents
• Partnership agreements
• Intellectual property
• Infrastructure projects
• Joint ventures
• Shareholders agreements
• Technology agreements

Criminal Procedure (CrPC 1973)

Court Jurisdiction

Court	Trial Jurisdiction
Sessions Court	Cases with imprisonment > 7 years
Magistrate First Class	Imprisonment up to 3 years
Magistrate Second Class	Imprisonment up to 1 year
Executive Magistrate	Preventive actions, maintenance

Cognizable vs. Non-Cognizable

Type	Police Power	Warrant Needed	Bail
Cognizable	Can arrest without warrant	No	May be non-bailable
Non-Cognizable	Cannot arrest without warrant	Yes	Bailable

Bail Provisions

Type	Section	Circumstances
Regular bail	437, 439	During trial
Anticipatory bail	438	Before arrest
Interim bail	437, 439	Temporary pending hearing
Default bail	167(2)	Investigation not completed in time

Default Bail Time Limits:

• 60 days: Offenses with imprisonment < 10 years
• 90 days: Offenses with imprisonment ≥ 10 years, death, or life

FIR and Investigation

FIR (Section 154) → Investigation (Chapter XII) →
Charge Sheet (Section 173) → Cognizance (Section 190) →
Charges Framed → Trial → Judgment

Indian Penal Code (IPC 1860)

Key Offenses

Section	Offense
120B	Criminal conspiracy
302	Murder
304	Culpable homicide
376	Rape
379-382	Theft
384-389	Extortion
390-402	Robbery
403-404	Criminal misappropriation
405-409	Criminal breach of trust
415-420	Cheating
463-477A	Forgery
499-500	Defamation
503-507	Criminal intimidation

White Collar Crimes

Offense	Section/Act
Cheating	IPC 420
Criminal breach of trust	IPC 406-409
Forgery	IPC 463-465
Money laundering	PMLA
Corruption	Prevention of Corruption Act
Corporate fraud	Companies Act 2013

Corporate Law

Companies Act 2013

Topic	Sections
Incorporation	3-22
Directors	149-172
Meetings	96-122
Related party transactions	188
Oppression and mismanagement	241-246
Winding up	270-365

NCLT Jurisdiction

• Company law matters
• Insolvency and bankruptcy (IBC)
• Oppression and mismanagement
• Class actions
• Mergers and amalgamations

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC 2016)

Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP):

1. Application (Section 7, 9, or 10)
2. Admission and moratorium
3. Appointment of IRP/RP
4. Formation of CoC
5. Resolution plan
6. Approval or liquidation

Timeline: 180 days (extendable by 90 days, max 330 days)

Arbitration (Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996)

Key Provisions

Section	Topic
7	Arbitration agreement
9	Interim measures (court)
11	Appointment of arbitrators
17	Interim measures (tribunal)
34	Setting aside award
36	Enforcement of award

Institutional Arbitration

• Indian Council of Arbitration (ICA)
• Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA)
• Delhi International Arbitration Centre (DIAC)
• Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) - frequently used for India

Section 34 Grounds (Setting Aside)

1. Party incapacity
2. Invalid agreement
3. No proper notice
4. Award beyond scope
5. Composition/procedure violation
6. Non-arbitrable subject matter
7. Public policy violation

Legal Research Resources

Primary Sources

Source	Content	URL
Indian Kanoon	Free case law	indiankanoon.org
SCC Online	Comprehensive database	scconline.com
Manupatra	Case law, statutes	manupatra.com
India Code	Central acts	indiacode.nic.in
Supreme Court	Official website	sci.gov.in

Citation Format

AIR CITATION:
AIR [Year] [Court] [Page]
Example: AIR 2020 SC 1234

SCC CITATION:
([Year]) [Volume] SCC [Page]
Example: (2020) 5 SCC 123

SCALE CITATION:
[Year] [Volume] SCALE [Page]

Integration with Other Skills

• legal-research: Indian case law research
• litigation: Indian court procedures
• corporate-ma: Indian M&A and NCLT
• international-arbitration: India-seated arbitration
• compliance-tracking: Indian regulatory compliance

Reference Files

For detailed guidance:

• references/court-procedures.md - Indian court filing procedures
• references/ibc-process.md - Insolvency process guide
• references/writ-practice.md - Constitutional writ procedures