There is no single official legal notice format in India, but a notice that works has eight parts: the mode of sending, the date, the sender and recipient, a subject line, the facts in numbered paragraphs, the legal basis, a specific demand with a deadline, and what will follow if the deadline is missed. Write it in that order, keep it factual, send it by registered post or speed post, and keep the proof of dispatch — that is most of what makes a notice useful if the dispute reaches court.
Below is the structure part by part, a complete worked example you can adapt, the situations where the law itself fixes the deadline, and what sending one realistically costs.
What a legal notice is, and what it is not
A legal notice is a formal written demand from one person to another before going to court. It is not a court document. No court issues it, it needs no stamp paper, and it does not by itself start a case.
It does three jobs. It tells the other side exactly what you say they owe or must do. It gives them a fair chance to put it right without litigation. And it creates a dated record showing you acted reasonably before suing — something judges notice when deciding costs and interest.
For most private disputes a notice is not legally compulsory, though it is almost always sensible. In a few situations the law requires one, and there the format and timing matter much more. Those are covered further down.
Legal notice, court notice and private notice — how they differ
These three terms get confused often enough to be worth separating before the format itself.
- Legal notice. Sent by one party to another, before any case is filed, to demand something and put the recipient on notice that court action will follow if they do not comply. This is the document this page is about.
- Court notice. Issued by the court, not by a party, after a case has already been filed — for instance a summons under Order V of the Code of Civil Procedure, or a notice of hearing. If you have received one of these, the deadline and the response required are set out on the notice itself, and the format is fixed by the court’s own rules, not by the guide below.
- Private notice. Simply a notice sent directly between individuals or businesses, as distinct from a public notice printed in a newspaper for anyone to read (typically used for a lost document or an intended property sale). A private notice follows the same eight-part structure as any other legal notice; it is the public notice, meant for strangers, that is drafted differently.
The rest of this page covers the legal notice — the one you send yourself, before going to court.
The eight parts of a legal notice
1. Heading and mode of service. Write “Legal Notice” at the top, followed by how it is being sent — for example “By Registered Post AD, Speed Post and Email”. This matters later, when you have to prove the notice was sent.
2. Date and reference. The date of the notice, and a reference number if an advocate is sending it. Deadlines run from receipt, so the date anchors everything that follows.
3. Sender and recipient. Full names, and full postal addresses. In India it is common to add parentage (son of, daughter of, wife of) to avoid any confusion about identity. If the recipient is a company, address it to the company at its registered office, through its managing director or authorised officer.
4. Subject line. One line saying what the notice is about — “Legal notice for refund of security deposit” or “Legal notice for recovery of unpaid invoice amount”. A reader should know the dispute before reading a single paragraph.
5. The facts, in numbered paragraphs. This is the heart of the notice. Tell the story in order, one fact per paragraph, with dates, amounts and the documents involved (agreement, invoice, bank transfer, messages). Numbered paragraphs let the other side reply point by point, and let you refer to them precisely later.
6. The legal basis. A short statement of why the facts give you a right — a clause of the agreement, or the statute that applies. One or two sentences is usually enough. A notice crowded with case citations reads as bluster and adds nothing.
7. The demand and the deadline. Say exactly what you want (a figure in rupees, possession of a property, a specific act) and exactly when (usually 15 to 30 days from receipt, unless a statute fixes the period). Vague demands such as “settle the matter” give the other side nothing to comply with.
8. Consequence and reservation. State what you will do if the demand is not met — file a civil suit, a complaint, or other proceedings — and that you reserve all your other rights. Close with the signature of the sender, or of the advocate “on behalf of and under instructions of” the client.
A worked example — refund of a withheld security deposit
The situation below is invented for illustration; every name and detail is a placeholder. A tenant has vacated a flat in Delhi, cleared all dues, and the landlord has kept the ₹60,000 security deposit without giving any reason.
LEGAL NOTICE
By Registered Post AD, Speed Post and Email
Date — [DD Month YYYY]
To, [Landlord’s full name], [full postal address]
Subject — Legal notice for refund of security deposit of ₹60,000
Sir / Madam,
Under the instructions of and on behalf of my client, [Tenant’s full name], son of [father’s name], resident of [current address] (hereinafter “my client”), I serve upon you the following legal notice.
That you let out the first floor of [property address], Delhi, to my client under a rent agreement dated [date], at a monthly rent of ₹[amount].
That at the start of the tenancy my client paid you a refundable security deposit of ₹60,000 by bank transfer on [date], as recorded in clause [number] of the agreement.
That clause [number] requires the deposit to be refunded when the premises are vacated, after deducting only unpaid dues or damage beyond normal wear and tear.
That my client vacated the premises on [date] after paying all rent and utility bills up to that date, and handed the keys to you on that day, as recorded in your WhatsApp message of [date].
That despite my client’s requests by phone and WhatsApp on [dates], you have neither refunded the deposit nor identified any dues or damage.
That withholding the deposit without cause is a breach of the rent agreement, and my client is entitled to recover it with interest and costs.
I therefore call upon you to pay my client the sum of ₹60,000 within 15 days of receiving this notice, by bank transfer to an account my client will confirm in writing, failing which my client will be constrained to file appropriate civil proceedings for recovery of the amount with interest and costs, entirely at your risk as to costs and consequences. My client reserves all other rights and remedies available in law.
A copy of this notice is retained in my office for record and further action.
[Advocate’s name], Advocate, [chamber address, phone and email]
Why this works. Every fact is dated and tied to a document or message. The demand is a single number with a single deadline. Nothing in it is an admission, an exaggeration or a threat that cannot be carried out.
What to change for your own case. Replace the facts and the clause, keep the numbered structure, and match the demand to what you would actually ask a court for. If you are writing without an advocate, sign it yourself and change “my client” to “I”.
Notices where the law fixes the deadline
Most notices follow the pattern above with a deadline you choose. A few are governed by statute, and getting the timing wrong can sink the case that follows.
Cheque bounce — Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The notice must be sent within 30 days of receiving the bank’s return memo, and must demand the cheque amount. The drawer then has 15 days from receiving the notice to pay; if they do not, the complaint must be filed within one month after those 15 days end. The cheque itself must have been presented within its three-month validity. Under Section 142(2), the complaint is filed where the payee’s bank branch that received the cheque for collection is located. Any interest or costs you claim should be shown separately from the cheque amount. See our cheque bounce practice at Tis Hazari for how these cases run in Delhi.
Suing the government — Section 80 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Before suing the central or state government, or a public officer for an act done in official capacity, you must give two months’ written notice. Where urgent relief is needed, a suit can be filed without it only with the court’s permission. The notice period is excluded when the limitation period is calculated.
Ending a tenancy — Section 106 of the Transfer of Property Act. Where the agreement says nothing about termination, a month-to-month tenancy ends on 15 days’ written notice, signed by or on behalf of the person giving it. Leases for agricultural or manufacturing purposes need a longer period. In Delhi, some older low-rent tenancies are still protected by the Delhi Rent Control Act, where a notice alone does not end the tenancy and eviction is possible only on the grounds that Act allows. Our landlord and tenant page explains which regime applies.
Consumer disputes. There is no mandatory notice before a consumer complaint, but a notice to the seller or service provider is the usual first step and is useful evidence that you gave them a chance to fix the problem.
A notice does not stop the clock
A common and expensive mistake is to send a notice, wait months for a reply, and assume time has stopped running. It has not. Apart from the Section 80 situation above, sending a notice does not extend the limitation period. Most suits to recover money must be filed within three years, and the period usually runs from when the payment fell due, not from the date of your notice. If the deadline is close, file first and negotiate afterwards.
How to send it so it counts
- Registered post AD or speed post to the recipient’s last known address. Keep the postal receipt and a printout of the tracking page.
- Presumption of service. A notice correctly addressed and sent by registered post is presumed delivered under Section 27 of the General Clauses Act. A postal endorsement of “refused” is generally treated as service; “addressee not found” is weaker and may need a fresh attempt at another address.
- Email and WhatsApp as well. Send a scanned signed copy to any email address or number the recipient has used with you, and keep screenshots showing the date and delivery ticks.
- Companies. Use the registered office address shown in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs records, and any address given in your contract.
- Keep a signed copy of exactly what was sent. You may need to produce it years later.
What to avoid
- Admissions. Phrases like “although we were a little late in paying” will be quoted back at you.
- Wrong figures. Check every date and amount against the documents. A cheque-bounce notice that demands the wrong amount can defeat the complaint.
- Shortcuts on statutory periods. Giving less than 15 days in a cheque notice, or less than two months before suing the government, invites a technical objection.
- Threats you cannot back up. Threatening a criminal case over what is plainly a civil money dispute undermines your credibility and can expose you to a complaint of your own.
- Copying it widely. Sending the notice to the recipient’s employer, neighbours or social media contacts can amount to defamation. Send it to the recipient and, where relevant, their company.
What a legal notice costs
If you draft and send it yourself, the cost is postage. Through an advocate in Delhi, a routine notice commonly costs somewhere between roughly ₹1,500 and ₹10,000 across the market, and more where there are many documents to go through, a large amount at stake, or a statutory timeline that has to be handled precisely. What moves the figure is the work involved: reading the agreement and correspondence, checking limitation, and preparing for the reply that may follow. A good notice is short, but getting it right takes time.
If you have received a legal notice instead
Note the date you received it and the deadline it sets. Collect every document and message it refers to. Do not phone the sender to explain — anything you say can be used. Do not ignore it either. A calm written reply, sent within the deadline, that answers each numbered paragraph and denies what is wrong keeps your position intact. If it is a cheque-bounce notice, the 15-day payment window is the most important date in the whole matter.
When to involve a lawyer
A notice is worth sending through an advocate when the amount is significant, when a statutory notice with a hard deadline is involved, when the other side is a company or the government, or when you expect the matter to go to court. Manuja Law Partners drafts and sends notices, and replies to them, as part of its civil litigation work and property dispute practice, with chambers at the Delhi High Court and Saket, appearing at Tis Hazari. We cannot promise any particular response from the other side, but we can make sure your notice says what it needs to, on time. Call 99115 44811 or write to manujalawyers@gmail.com.
This article explains the general structure and law of legal notices in India and is not legal advice on any particular dispute. The worked example is illustrative only; adapt it to your own facts and documents, and take advice where a statutory deadline applies.