Kaagazaat

Vakalatnama (Appointing an Advocate)

At a glance

Price
Free, always.
Stamp duty
Punjab and Chandigarh: no stamp duty on a vakalatnama as an instrument has been confirmed, but some courts ask for a welfare-fund stamp or fee on it, and the court-fee position can differ by court; the amount has not been confirmed, so confirm it at the filing counter of the court before presenting the vakalatnama.
Registration
Punjab and Chandigarh: not registrable.
Witnesses
Punjab and Chandigarh: no attesting witness signs it.

Free

Free, always.

Free: up to 5 documents a day.

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Also called

  • vakalat
  • power of attorney to advocate
  • advocate appointment
  • memo of appearance
  • वकालतनामा
  • ਵਕਾਲਤਨਾਮਾ

When you need it

You are a party in a case in a court in Punjab or Chandigarh and you want an advocate to appear and act for you. The advocate cannot appear for you until you sign a vakalatnama, which the advocate files in the case, usually at the first hearing.

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This one names the court and the case, you and the advocate, and what the advocate may do: appear and plead, sign and file papers, produce and examine witnesses, receive notices and orders, deposit and receive money in court, and appoint a substitute. It keeps back the decision to withdraw, compromise or go to arbitration, which needs your written consent. It records that the fee is settled between you, that you will attend when called, and that the advocate cannot promise the result. Court papers are usually filed through an advocate; this is the paper that makes that possible. Fix the court-related stamp or welfare-fund fee at the filing counter. One vakalatnama is for one case; sign a fresh one for a separate case or an appeal if you choose the narrower option. It is not a general power of attorney (see the library's power of attorney documents) and gives the advocate no authority over your property outside the case.

Whether you can fill this in here

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You can fill this one in on this site, and read the whole draft on screen before you decide anything about it. It is a carefully drafted template; it is not advice about your own facts.

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See stamp duty, registration and witnesses

What follows is written for Punjab and Chandigarh. It states the position there rather than describing how it varies, so the amounts below are the ones that apply — worth confirming at the sub-registrar’s office, because rates change. If the property is anywhere else in India, none of this is yours.

Stamp duty

Punjab and Chandigarh: no stamp duty on a vakalatnama as an instrument has been confirmed, but some courts ask for a welfare-fund stamp or fee on it, and the court-fee position can differ by court; the amount has not been confirmed, so confirm it at the filing counter of the court before presenting the vakalatnama. Court papers are usually filed through an advocate; you may file in person, and if an advocate files it for you, enter the advocate's name and address (optional).

Registration

Punjab and Chandigarh: not registrable. It is lodged with the court's own registry, becomes part of the record of the case, and is not a document that the Registration Act, 1908 reaches.

Notarisation

Punjab and Chandigarh: no notary is needed. The client signs it, and the advocate accepts it by signing. Some courts expect the advocate to identify the client's signature; the client should carry photo identification.

Witnesses

Punjab and Chandigarh: no attesting witness signs it. The signature of the party and, where an advocate files it, the advocate's signature are the whole formality.

Request Stamp Paper

Sample preview — placeholder answers, not your data

IN THE COURT OF THE COURT OF THE CIVIL JUDGE (JUNIOR DIVISION), LUDHIANA

Civil Suit No. 1204 of 2026

Manjit Kaur versus Ravinder Singh

VAKALATNAMA

I, Manjit Kaur, wife of Balbir Singh, aged 58, of House No. 221, Street No. 4, Gurdev Nagar, Ludhiana 141001, the plaintiff in the above matter, appoint Amandeep Kaur Sidhu, Advocate, of Chamber No. 42, District Courts, Ludhiana, enrolment No. P/1234/2012 (the Advocate), to act for me in the case named above, in this court only, and I authorise the Advocate:

  1. 1. to appear, act and plead for me, and to sign and file pleadings, petitions, applications, replies, affidavits and other papers on my behalf;
  1. 2. to produce and examine witnesses, and to inspect, take and return documents;
  1. 3. to receive notices and summonses, and to obtain copies of orders;
  1. 4. to deposit money in court and to receive money from the court on my account, and to give receipts for it;
  1. 5. to engage another advocate to act in the Advocate's place when the Advocate cannot attend, with the same powers; and
  1. 6. to do whatever else is lawfully needed for the conduct of the matter, but not to withdraw it, compromise it or refer it to arbitration without my written consent.

I agree that I will pay the Advocate's fee as settled between us (as agreed in writing between us on 1 October 2026), and that I will attend the court whenever I am called upon. I ratify what the Advocate lawfully does for me in the matter. I understand that the Advocate cannot promise the result of the case.

Place: Ludhiana

Date: 1 April 2026

CLIENT

ACCEPTED

I accept this appointment.

ADVOCATE: Amandeep Kaur Sidhu

LEGAL BASIS

Punjab: A party is represented in court by an advocate whom the party appoints by signing a vakalatnama, which the advocate files in the case, ordinarily at the first appearance. The vakalatnama is signed by the party and accepted by the advocate. Some courts ask for a welfare-fund stamp or fee on the vakalatnama; the amount and whether it applies to a given court have not been confirmed, so ask at the filing counter.

Chandigarh: The same applies in the courts at Chandigarh. A vakalatnama filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court follows that court's own rules of practice, which have not been checked here.

PERSONAL DATA NOTICE

This notice is given under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

The purpose of collecting the personal data in this document is to identify the client and the advocate and to record the appointment and its extent, so that the advocate can appear and act in the case.

The record will be held by Kuldip Singh Sandhu and may be shared with the client, the advocate and the advocate's staff, and the court in which the vakalatnama is filed.

If the matter does not proceed, the personal data will be retained for 90 days and then erased. If the matter proceeds, the record will be retained for the transaction or authority matter plus 12 months, except where a statute requires a longer named retention period.

Questions about this document

Does the Vakalatnama (Appointing an Advocate) need stamp paper or stamp duty in Punjab and Chandigarh?

Punjab and Chandigarh: no stamp duty on a vakalatnama as an instrument has been confirmed, but some courts ask for a welfare-fund stamp or fee on it, and the court-fee position can differ by court; the amount has not been confirmed, so confirm it at the filing counter of the court before presenting the vakalatnama.

See the full position on stamp duty, registration and witnesses
Does the Vakalatnama (Appointing an Advocate) need registration in Punjab and Chandigarh?
What does the Vakalatnama (Appointing an Advocate) cost on Kaagazaat?

Free, always.

Does the Vakalatnama (Appointing an Advocate) need witnesses?

Punjab and Chandigarh: no attesting witness signs it.

See the full position on stamp duty, registration and witnesses

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