Criminal Defence & Economic-Offence Practice
in Delhi NCR

Our criminal practice focuses on white-collar and economic-offence defence: matters before the Enforcement Directorate (PMLA proceedings), Central Bureau of Investigation, Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police, Serious Fraud Investigation Office, and complementary banking-fraud and corporate-fraud cases. We also handle bail strategy at every level — anticipatory bail under Section 482 BNSS (formerly Section 438 CrPC), regular bail under Sections 480 and 483 BNSS, and bail at the Delhi High Court under Section 484 BNSS. We do not undertake general crime, road-traffic offences, or matrimonial-family criminal matters outside HNI engagements.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 replaced the Indian Penal Code 1860 from 1 July 2024. Substantively, most offences continue with renumbering — for example, Section 420 IPC (cheating) is now Section 318 BNS, Section 406 IPC (criminal breach of trust) is now Section 316 BNS, and Section 302 IPC (murder) is now Section 103(1) BNS. The BNS introduces new offences such as organised crime under Section 111, terrorist acts under Section 113, and mob lynching as a distinct category. Cases registered before 1 July 2024 continue to be tried under the IPC; cases registered after that date are tried under the BNS. Defence counsel needs fluency in both regimes.

The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 from 1 July 2024. Key procedural shifts include: anticipatory bail moved from Section 438 CrPC to Section 482 BNSS; regular bail framework now under Sections 480 to 483 BNSS; mandatory written grounds of arrest under Section 47, codifying the Supreme Court direction in Pankaj Bansal v. Union of India; videography of search and seizure under Section 105; and time-bound trial directions in Section 346. The substantive bail jurisprudence — Satender Kumar Antil categories, the twin test for PMLA bail under Section 45, the principle that bail is the rule and jail the exception — continues to operate within the new procedural framework.

Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 imposes a twin test for bail: the prosecutor must be heard, and the court must be satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing the accused is not guilty and will not commit any offence while on bail. The Supreme Court in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary v. Union of India (2022) upheld this twin test. However, in Satender Kumar Antil v. CBI (2022), the Court re-emphasised the principles of personal liberty and graded the bail framework by offence category. In practice, PMLA bail at the trial court is exceptionally difficult; the realistic path is the Delhi High Court under Section 483 BNSS or the Supreme Court via Special Leave Petition. Bail strategy must account for the parallel proceedings under the predicate offence (often a CBI or EOW FIR).

Our criminal practice is a deliberate extension of the firm's existing financial-litigation work, not a generalist criminal practice. Many white-collar matters originate from banking events: NPA classifications that escalate to wilful-defaulter declarations, then to CBI bank-fraud FIRs, then to PMLA proceedings before the Adjudicating Authority. Counsel who already understand the underlying SARFAESI, IBC, and DRT proceedings carry contextual fluency that pure-criminal counsel often lack. The same logic applies to Section 138 NI Act portfolios that scale into criminal IPC 420 (now BNS 318) and Section 463 (now BNS 336) prosecutions. Our criminal team works alongside the debt-recovery team rather than as a separate silo.

Across all eight major criminal forums in Delhi NCR: the Supreme Court of India for Special Leave Petitions, the Delhi High Court for bail and writ matters, and the six district-court complexes — Patiala House Court (New Delhi District), Tis Hazari Court (Central and West Delhi), Saket Court (South Delhi), Rohini Court (North-West Delhi), Dwarka Court (South-West Delhi), and Karkardooma Court (East and Shahdara). Selection of the trial venue is governed by Section 197 BNSS (territorial jurisdiction). For empanelled clients, our team coordinates appearances across multiple courts in a single day.

Criminal matters are time-critical. For active arrest situations, the firm responds within hours: a designated counsel attends remand, files for bail under the appropriate BNSS section, and coordinates with family. For ED Section 50 summons or Section 19 arrest, our team prepares the witness for examination, briefs on the right against self-incrimination under Article 20(3), and where necessary files for anticipatory bail under Section 482 BNSS before the Delhi High Court or Sessions Court. Anticipatory bail filings are typically prepared within 12 to 24 hours of engagement. Contact +91 84008 60008 or legal@unifiedchambers.com — for urgent criminal matters, mark the message URGENT.

Yes — for SLP Criminal filings against orders of the Delhi High Court and other High Courts. The firm has an Advocate-on-Record associated practice for Supreme Court filings. Article 136 SLPs are filed against final judgments and orders in criminal matters; the typical bail-related SLP is filed against High Court orders refusing or granting bail. The 30-day limitation under Article 134 of the Limitation Act runs from the date of the impugned order. Our team prepares and files within this window, including condonation of delay applications where the limitation has expired with sufficient cause.