High Court Lawyer

Key laws & sections

• Constitution of India — Articles 226 & 227

  Writ jurisdiction (certiorari, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto, habeas corpus) and supervisory jurisdiction over subordinate courts and tribunals.

• BNSS, 2023 — Sections 482 & 528

  Anticipatory bail (482) and inherent powers / quashing of FIR or chargesheet (528) — the modern Section 482 CrPC route, but with stricter pleadings under the new code.

• Code of Civil Procedure — Sections 96, 100 & 115

  First appeal, second appeal on substantial question of law, and civil revision — the three civil routes to the High Court.

• Contempt of Courts Act, 1971

  Civil and criminal contempt — both for enforcement of court orders and for defending those accused of scandalising the court.

• Service & tax statutes — CAT, CESTAT, GSTAT routes

  Writ jurisdiction is invoked where alternative remedies are inadequate — we file writs in service, tax and regulatory matters where statutory appeals would be too slow or futile.

How we run the matter

1. 1
   Cause-of-action diagnosis

   Not every matter belongs in the High Court. We screen for alternative remedy, locus, ripeness and forum — many matters are better served by a revision, statutory appeal or remand to the trial court.

2. 2
   Drafting to bench convention

   Each High Court has drafting conventions — synopsis, list of dates, paginated index, marked annexures with translations where required. We draft to those conventions so the matter isn’t returned by the registry.

3. 3
   Mentioning & first listing

   Urgent mentioning before the appropriate Bench, fixing the date, and securing notice or interim protection at the first listing where the matter warrants it.

4. 4
   Reply, rejoinder & arguments

   Once notice is issued, we run the reply / rejoinder cycle, file additional documents, and prepare for full arguments — including written submissions which most Benches now insist on.

5. 5
   Order, review & SLP route

   On adverse order, we file a review where the case warrants, or move the Supreme Court by Special Leave Petition under Article 136. We brief senior counsel where the matter requires.

Why Shield for this

• Regular Delhi High Court practice. We appear before the Delhi HC in writs, quashing matters and bail almost every working week — familiarity with the registry, the standing orders and the duty Bench makes a tangible difference.
• Allahabad HC reach. Through the firm’s Allahabad and Lucknow network, we file at both seats — particularly useful for criminal revisions and bail matters from western UP.
• Quashing-heavy practice. Recent Section 528 BNSS matter — false 498A FIR quashed at the admission stage on the strength of contemporaneous WhatsApp records and a settled MoU; observation in the order that “criminal process cannot be used to enforce civil bargains”.
• Senior counsel briefing. Where the matter calls for it, we brief senior advocates on record — but only where the merits and the Bench actually justify the cost. We don’t reflexively load every brief with a senior.

Questions clients ask first