Hi. I'm from the US. I wanted to start a non-profit NGO here to serve disabled children. I hired a local lawyer to help me with the various processes here. Along the way, I found that the local lawyer was a) sabotaging the start and running of our NGO as we might undercut a for-profit faciility in the same area, b) asking for money claiming various government officials had to be bribed and c) siphoning funds. I have detailed records on email , SMS and photocopies of everything. I also have phone call recordings, as my smart phone records all calls anyway - this in the US is obviously inadmissible in court, but usable in private forum or media. I don't know what the position is in India. The lawyer has also been very abusive and making threats, whenever I have tried to question him, often offering the first lie he can think of. In the US, it is very clear how to handle this. I'd go to the Disciplinary Board for some issues and file a malpractice suit for the other, quantifiable issues. How do I do this in India? Does it vary state to state? This is Tamil Nadu. I am in Coimbatore. The lawyer is mainly based in Chennai but he travels. How about a bar council complaint? Is it taken seriously by the bar council? Or is it just a joke? Do they impose serious penalties and sanctions? How long does it take? My evidence is overwhelming and documentation extensive. Since it impacts disabled children, if this were the US, they are a protected class and additional avenues are available to initiate action. Is that possible in India too? Are there any attorneys specializing in malpractice here? Some actions might be even criminal - like asking for money to pay bribes in some office. What recourse is available against the attorney for this?
Thanks for reading.
