I just received a legal notice — do I have to reply?

You are NOT statutorily compelled to reply (silence is not an admission), but a well-structured reply preserves your defences, signals you take the matter seriously, and may prompt the sender to settle. For statutory notices (e.g. §138 NI Act demand notice, §80 CPC notice to government, §13(2) SARFAESI demand) the consequences of NOT replying can be adverse — these should be replied within the statutory window.

What is the standard reply window?

A typical legal notice expects a reply within 15 to 30 days, but the safe practice is to reply within 15 days. For §138 NI Act demand notices, the drawer has 15 days to pay (not necessarily to reply). For §80 CPC notices to government, the notice itself gives 2 months before suit. Consult your advocate on the specific statute.

Can I draft and send the reply myself?

Legally yes — any party can draft and send their own reply via registered post / courier / e-mail / WhatsApp (Vidyadhar v Manikrao (1999) 3 SCC 573 — service can be by any reasonable means). But for high-stakes matters (defamation, §138, SARFAESI, divorce), have an advocate review or sign the reply before despatch — wording can be used against you in later proceedings.

Back to My Packs

Service Pack

Notice Response Pack

Paste or upload the legal notice you received. We extract every demand, every deadline, every cited section — and draft a structured, professional reply you can take to your lawyer or send directly.

1 Paste the notice

2 Tell us context

3 Review draft

4 Export or send to lawyer

Paste the notice you received

Copy-paste the entire text — sender's name, addresses, body, demands, deadlines, signatures. We don't store the raw notice once your draft is ready unless you save it to a Legal Issue.

Notice text

0 / 25,000 Stored encrypted, never shared

Tell us your side (briefly)

A good reply addresses each claim. Tell us — in your own words — what happened, what's true, and what's false in the notice. We'll fold this into the draft.

Reply tone

Draft language

Your version of facts

Your draft reply

Review carefully. You're the one signing it — make sure every word is accurate.

Your reply is ready

Download, copy, or hand the draft to a verified lawyer for a final review before sending. KanoonPilot does not file or send the reply on your behalf.

Hand to a lawyer

Important: This draft is informational. KanoonPilot is not a law firm and your use of this draft does not create an attorney-client relationship. For binding legal advice, consult a qualified advocate.