Criminal Lawyers in Ahmedabad — Bail, Trials & White-Collar Defence
when liberty and reputation are on the line.
A criminal allegation moves faster than any other kind of legal problem, and the first days decide the most. Candour Legal defends individuals, directors and businesses in criminal matters — bail, investigations, trials, quashing and appeals — before the courts at Ahmedabad, the Gujarat High Court and the Supreme Court. Discreet, urgent, and built on preparation rather than theatrics.
Who we act for
Individuals facing an FIR, a police notice, or arrest — where the immediate questions are bail, protection and controlling the narrative of the investigation. Directors, promoters and professionals named in economic-offence and business-dispute prosecutions, where the criminal case usually travels with a civil one. Businesses as victims — companies defrauded by employees, vendors or counterparties, which need complaints drafted so the police actually register and investigate them.
India’s criminal law changed on 1 July 2024: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam replaced the IPC, the CrPC and the Evidence Act. We practise under the new codes daily, and matters that began under the old ones.
What we handle
Eight core workstreams, from the police station to the Supreme Court.
Anticipatory & regular bail
Anticipatory bail under Section 482 of the BNSS (formerly Section 438 CrPC) when arrest is apprehended, and regular bail after arrest — before the Magistrate, the Sessions Court and the Gujarat High Court. Bail is won on preparation: the papers, the precedents, and the conditions offered.
FIR & investigation stage
Advising from the first police notice — responding to summons, accompanying clients through questioning within the law’s limits, protecting devices and records, and making representations to investigating officers and senior police officials where the complaint is distorted or motivated.
Quashing petitions
Petitions under Section 528 of the BNSS (formerly Section 482 CrPC) before the Gujarat High Court to quash FIRs and proceedings — where the complaint discloses no offence, criminalises a civil dispute, or has been settled between the parties in matters where the law permits it.
Trial defence
Defence at trial before the Magistrate and Sessions courts — discharge applications, framing of charge, cross-examination, and final arguments. Trials are won in the record long before they are won in the courtroom.
Economic offences & white-collar defence
Cheating, criminal breach of trust and forgery allegations under the BNS arising from business dealings — and enforcement matters under the PMLA, including ED summonses and proceedings, through our white-collar practice.
Cheque bounce — Section 138
Prosecuting and defending cheque dishonour complaints under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act — the demand notice within 30 days, the 15-day payment window, and the complaint that follows. We act for payees recovering money and for drawers defending complaints.
Criminal complaints for businesses
When your company is the victim — employee fraud, forged documents, misappropriation, cyber fraud — we draft complaints that set out the offence with the evidence mapped to it, pursue registration, and follow the investigation through.
Appeals & revisions
Criminal appeals and revisions before the Sessions Court, the Gujarat High Court and the Supreme Court through our New Delhi chamber — including suspension of sentence and bail pending appeal.
How a criminal matter typically runs
The sequence — and where the defence does its most important work.
A criminal case begins with an FIR at the police station or a private complaint before the Magistrate. What is recorded here frames everything after — get counsel involved before statements are made, not after.
Police notices, questioning, searches and, where arrest is apprehended, anticipatory bail. This stage decides custody, and custody changes the practical balance of any case.
The police file their final report. The defence studies it line by line — the gap between allegation and evidence is usually visible here first.
Before charges are framed, the accused may seek discharge where the material does not make out an offence. A discharge won here saves years of trial.
Evidence, cross-examination and arguments — then, if needed, appeal to the High Court and the Supreme Court, with suspension of sentence sought where the law allows.
Why Candour Legal for criminal defence
Criminal work is urgent by nature. We move on bail and protection the day you call — the phone line above is answered for a reason.
Most of our criminal work sits where business and criminal law meet — cheating and breach-of-trust allegations, cheque dishonour, PMLA. We understand the transaction behind the FIR.
Reputation is part of what we defend. Matters are handled quietly, by a named advocate, with communication kept tight.
Police station to Supreme Court — Ahmedabad courts, the Gujarat High Court, and our New Delhi chamber for the top court — without changing firms mid-fight.
Frequently Asked Questions
What people ask us in the first call — answered directly.
An FIR has been filed against me. What should I do first?
Get a copy of the FIR, speak to a criminal lawyer before you speak to anyone else, and do not make statements or hand over devices without advice. The early assessment covers three questions: is arrest likely and should anticipatory bail be moved; does the FIR actually disclose an offence or is it a civil dispute dressed as one; and what evidence should be preserved now. Acting in the first days costs little and protects a great deal.
What is anticipatory bail and when should it be sought?
Anticipatory bail — under Section 482 of the BNSS, formerly Section 438 of the CrPC — is a direction that a person be released on bail in the event of arrest. It is sought when arrest is reasonably apprehended: after an FIR naming you, a police notice, or credible indications of a complaint. The application is decided on the nature of the allegation, your antecedents and the risk of flight or tampering, and conditions are usually attached.
Can an FIR be quashed?
The High Court can quash an FIR or criminal proceeding under Section 528 of the BNSS (formerly Section 482 CrPC) — typically where the allegations, taken at face value, disclose no offence; where the dispute is essentially civil or commercial; or where the parties have genuinely settled in matters the law treats as compoundable or personal. Quashing is discretionary and fact-heavy; the petition rises or falls on how the record is presented.
What changed with India’s new criminal laws?
From 1 July 2024, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita replaced the Indian Penal Code, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam replaced the Evidence Act. Offences and procedures were renumbered and in places substantively changed — timelines, electronic evidence and forensic requirements among them. Cases arising from events before that date largely continue under the old codes, so both regimes are in active use.
How does a cheque bounce case work?
Under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, when a cheque is returned unpaid, the payee must send a demand notice within 30 days of the return. The drawer then has 15 days to pay. If payment is not made, a complaint must be filed before the Magistrate within one month after that window closes. The timelines are strict on both sides — missing one can end the case — which is why the matter should reach a lawyer the day the cheque bounces.
I have received a police summons. Do I have to go?
A summons or notice from the police should be taken seriously and answered — ignoring it invites harsher steps — but you are entitled to legal advice before and while you respond. What you say is recorded and used. The right course depends on whether you are a witness or a suspect, which is often unclear from the notice itself; counsel’s first job is to find out and set the ground rules for your appearance.
Do you handle ED and money-laundering matters?
Yes. Enforcement Directorate summonses, PMLA proceedings, and the white-collar matters that surround them are handled by our economic-offences practice, which works alongside the criminal defence team. Where a business dispute has produced both a civil claim and a criminal case — which is common — we run the two strategies together rather than in silos.
Speak to a criminal lawyer today
Criminal matters reward speed and preparation. Whether it is an FIR, a police notice, a bail application or a complaint your business needs to file — start with a confidential conversation.
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