Compliance posture
We operate in one of the most heavily regulated professional service spaces in India. This page summarises the rules we follow and how they are reflected in the product.
Neutral technology intermediary
We provide infrastructure, not legal services. We do not select, promote, or endorse any specific advocate. Our matching engine is deterministic and auditable — it uses only jurisdiction, practice area, and advocate availability.
No advertising, no ratings, no premium placement
Rule 36 prohibits advocate solicitation. The product has no lawyer directory, no ratings, no reviews, no “Top 10” lists, and no paid placement. A PR Vignesh v. Bar Council of India (Madras HC, 2024) underscores this prohibition; we designed the platform to sit clearly outside that risk envelope.
No fee-sharing with non-advocates
We charge the consumer a flat technology convenience fee. The advocate's professional fee is negotiated directly between the consumer and the advocate and never routed through our wallet. We do not retain a percentage of that professional fee, commission, or referral payment.
No commingling of client funds
When escrow becomes available (V2), funds will be held by an RBI-regulated trusteeship partner (RazorpayX Escrow) on a milestone-based release structure. Online Vakil never holds client money on its own balance sheet.
Physical dispatch for criminal-statutory notices
The Supreme Court has held that WhatsApp / email delivery is not valid service for Section 138 NI Act, Section 41A CrPC, or Section 35 BNSS notices. For these statutes we dispatch the notice via Speed Post with Acknowledgment Due through a commercial print-and-mail partner, and we surface the legal basis directly in the drafting flow.
DPDPA-compliant consent & rights
Consent is purpose-scoped. Users can access, correct, delete, and withdraw consent from the account page. Children's data is not processed. A Data Protection Officer is designated. Retention is tiered to match the statutory window of the underlying matter.
Aadhaar eSign legally equivalent to wet-ink
Vakalatnama execution uses Aadhaar-based eSign through a licensed eSign Service Provider (Digio). Section 3A of the IT Act makes such signatures legally equivalent to wet-ink. Attorney-client privilege under Section 126 of the Indian Evidence Act attaches only after successful eSign.
Legitimate business expenditure
Our technology fee is recognised as a legitimate business expense under the Delhi High Court's ruling in Commissioner of Income Tax v. Remfry & Sagar, confirming that payments for technological infrastructure to non-advocate service providers do not constitute illegal fee-sharing.
Grievance redressal
A Grievance Officer is designated and reachable at the contact page. Consumer Protection Act rights are preserved; nothing on the platform waives them.