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Mehra & Associates Advocates & Legal Consultants · Delhi

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Selected matters, described honestly.

Every summary below is anonymised. Client names, exact figures and identifying details have been removed. We publish these to show the kind of work the firm does and how it approaches a problem — not to promise anyone a similar result. Outcomes in litigation depend entirely on the facts, the evidence and the court.

Featured matters

Three matters that show how the firm works

  • Commercial recoveryDelhi High Court · Summary suit and execution

    Recovery of withheld payments from a defaulting buyer

    A Delhi-based components manufacturer had supplied goods for eleven months while invoices went unpaid. The buyer continued placing orders, which suggested an intention to keep the relationship alive rather than a genuine dispute about quality. We filed a summary suit under Order XXXVII rather than an ordinary suit, which shifts the burden onto the defendant to seek leave to defend.

    Leave to defend was contested and refused in part. A decree followed, and execution proceedings were initiated against the defendant's bank accounts and a commercial property in South Delhi. A substantial portion of the claim was recovered through attachment before the matter was finally closed.

  • Property disputeSaket District Court · Partition and injunction

    Family partition settled before trial

    Three branches of a family held undivided shares in a property in South Delhi. One branch had begun negotiating a sale of its undivided share to a third party, which would have introduced a stranger into the family arrangement and complicated any future partition.

    We applied for and obtained an interim injunction restraining further alienation. With the sale blocked, the parties returned to the negotiating table. A partition arrangement was reached, recorded in a family settlement and given effect through a decree on consent — avoiding a trial that would in all likelihood have run for several years.

  • Criminal defenceRohini District Court · Anticipatory bail

    Criminal complaint arising from a commercial dispute

    A director of a small manufacturing unit faced a criminal complaint alleging cheating after a supply contract collapsed. The complainant had framed what was plainly a contractual failure as dishonest inducement from the outset.

    We applied for anticipatory bail, placing the purchase orders, delivery records and email correspondence before the court to demonstrate that the transaction had been performed in part and that the dispute was civil in character. Protection was granted with conditions. The underlying commercial claim was thereafter referred to mediation and settled.

Case study cards

Four shorter matters, with the detail that mattered

Each card sets out the nature of the dispute, the forum, the approach taken and how the matter concluded.

Matter 01

Tenancy eviction after prolonged non-payment

A commercial landlord in Karol Bagh had not received rent for over two years. The tenant had stopped responding to notices but continued to occupy the premises and sublet a portion of it. We filed an eviction petition before the Rent Controller and simultaneously documented the unauthorised subletting.

Forum
Rent Controller, Tis Hazari
Approach
Eviction petition supported by rent records, bank statements and a report on the sub-tenancy.
Outcome
Eviction ordered. Possession was handed over and arrears recovered in part through execution.

Matter 02

Cheque dishonour complaint defended on limitation and notice

A trader in Sadar Bazaar received a Section 138 complaint in respect of a cheque issued during a partnership settlement. The complaint had been filed outside the statutory period, and the demand notice had been sent to an address the client had vacated eighteen months earlier.

Forum
Magistrate Court, Karkardooma
Approach
Application challenging the maintainability of the complaint on limitation and on defective service of notice.
Outcome
Complaint dismissed. No criminal liability attached to the client.

Matter 03

Mutual consent divorce with a settlement that held

Both parties had been separated for several years and wanted to end the marriage without a contested trial. The difficult issues were the education expenses of a child, the transfer of a jointly held flat, and the return of jewellery.

Forum
Family Court, Dwarka
Approach
A written settlement covering education costs, visitation, asset transfer and a default clause, negotiated before the first motion.
Outcome
Decree of divorce by mutual consent. Transfers completed without further proceedings.

Matter 04

Recovery claim against a dissolved partnership

A supplier in Bawana had supplied materials to a partnership firm that was subsequently dissolved. The former partners each denied responsibility for the outstanding amount, and the firm no longer existed as a legal entity.

Forum
District Court, Rohini
Approach
Suit against the former partners jointly, supported by delivery records and correspondence from the pre-dissolution period.
Outcome
Decree against the partners jointly and severally. Recovered through attachment of a bank account.

Client challenges

What clients are actually dealing with when they call us

Enquiries rarely arrive in the language of a legal plaint. Most begin as a practical problem — money not received, a property at risk, a notice that arrived unexpectedly, a marriage that has broken down. Before we talk about provisions and forums, we try to understand the situation the client is in.

The difficulties that recur most often are these: documentary records that were never maintained, limitation periods that were allowed to run, disputes that were left unattended for years in the hope of a family or business resolution, and a genuine uncertainty about whether the cost of litigation is justified by what can be recovered.

Each of these affects strategy. A claim that is strong on merits but beyond limitation requires a different approach from one that is timely but poorly documented. We say which of these applies at the first meeting, so the client can decide with accurate information.

  • Money withheld without explanation
  • Unclear or disputed property title
  • Co-owners blocking a sale
  • Delayed possession from a builder
  • A cheque that has been dishonoured
  • An FIR registered after a business dispute
  • Separation without a settlement
  • Maintenance and custody disagreements
  • A contract signed without review
  • A partner acting outside the agreement
  • Notices from a government department
  • A decree that was never executed

Legal strategy

How we decide what to file, and when

Strategy is not a single decision made at the outset. It is reviewed after every order, and it changes when the facts or the other side's position changes.

01

Read the record first

Before advising on a remedy, we read everything the client has — agreements, notices, receipts, emails, prior orders. Advice given before the record is read is guesswork.

02

Check limitation and jurisdiction

These two questions decide more matters than the merits do. A strong claim filed in the wrong forum, or filed late, is a strong claim that will be dismissed.

03

Choose the fastest adequate remedy

Where a summary procedure is available, we use it. Where an injunction will preserve the position, we seek it early rather than after the asset has been transferred.

04

Assess recoverability, not just liability

A decree against a party with no assets in Delhi achieves little. We tell clients this before they spend money on a suit, and we look for security where possible.

05

Keep settlement available

Even in contested matters, we prepare in a way that allows a negotiated exit at the right moment — and we tell clients when that moment has arrived.

06

Review after every order

An adverse interim order usually changes the calculus. We set out the options in writing rather than proceeding on the original plan out of habit.

Outcomes

What a favourable result actually looks like

Clients sometimes measure success only by a decree in their favour. In practice, the better outcome is often the one that ends the matter sooner, costs less and leaves the client's position intact.

Settlement on terms

A negotiated resolution that the other side complies with is frequently worth more than a decree that must be executed for years. Where settlement is realistic, we pursue it.

Recovery actually received

A claim is not won when the decree is passed. It is won when the money reaches the client. We pursue execution as part of the engagement, not as an afterthought.

Exposure contained

In criminal and family matters, a good outcome is often the absence of a worse one — no custody, no adverse finding, no escalation, and a clear end to the proceedings.

The summaries on this page are illustrative of the firm's work. They are not a prediction of the outcome of any other matter, and no advocate can guarantee a result.

Professional disclaimer

The case summaries published on this page are provided for general information about the nature of the firm's practice. They do not constitute legal advice, advertising or solicitation, and they should not be relied upon in relation to any particular matter.

All matters have been anonymised. Names, locations within Delhi, dates, amounts and certain identifying facts have been altered or omitted so that no client can be identified. Where a summary describes a settlement, the terms remain confidential between the parties.

Past results are not a guarantee, warranty or prediction of the outcome of any other matter. Every dispute turns on its own facts, the evidence available and the view the court takes. No advocate at this firm guarantees any particular result, and nothing on this website should be read as doing so.

Reading this page, or contacting the firm through this website, does not create an advocate–client relationship. That relationship arises only when the firm has confirmed in writing that it accepts the instructions and an engagement has been signed by both parties.

If you have a live matter with an approaching deadline, do not rely on this website. Contact the chambers directly by telephone.

Consultation

Every matter begins with an honest assessment

Bring your documents and describe the situation as you understand it. We will tell you what the firm can realistically do, what it will cost, and whether it is worth doing at all.

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