Privacy Policy

01.Overview & Identity of Data Fiduciary

This Privacy Policy ("Policy") is published by Vakil Prime, a legal practice ("Practice", "we", "us", "our") operating from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. As operators of this website and providers of legal services, we act as a Data Fiduciary within the meaning of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) with respect to the personal data of our users and clients.

This Policy governs the collection, processing, storage, protection, and deletion of any personal data obtained through: (a) use of this website (vakilprime.com); (b) contact via WhatsApp, telephone, email, or any other digital channel operated by us; and (c) the course of any formal or informal legal engagement with us.

This Policy applies to all visitors, users, prospective clients, and existing clients, regardless of their geographic location, to the extent that they interact with this website or our services. By using this website or engaging our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy.

No Advocate-Client Relationship: Browsing this website, reading this Privacy Policy, or submitting an inquiry does not constitute or create an advocate-client relationship. Such a relationship is only formed upon formal engagement and mutual agreement in writing.

02.Information We Collect

We collect only the minimum personal data necessary for the specific purpose for which it is collected. The categories of personal data we may collect include:

03.How We Use Your Information

We process your personal data only for the following specific, lawful, and transparent purposes:

• Service Delivery: To understand your legal need, draft documents, file applications, represent you before courts or government authorities, and complete the specific legal service you have engaged us for.
• Communication: To respond to your enquiries, provide status updates on your matter, send drafts for your review, and maintain contact during the course of your engagement — primarily via WhatsApp, email, or telephone.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable Indian laws, court orders, regulatory obligations, and professional duties prescribed by the Bar Council of India and the Advocates Act, 1961.
• Identity Verification: To verify your identity before processing sensitive legal matters, as required by professional and regulatory standards.
• Record Keeping: To maintain professional records of engagements as required for legal compliance, audit, and potential future reference by the Client.
• Website Improvement: Anonymised and aggregated analytics data is used to understand how visitors use this website and to improve its content, performance, and usability.
• Fraud Prevention & Security: To detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent activity, misrepresentation, or misuse of our services or website.

We will not use your personal data for any purpose that is incompatible with the purposes listed above without obtaining your explicit prior consent. We do not use your data for automated decision-making, profiling, or targeted advertising.

04.Legal Basis for Processing

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 and applicable Indian law, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Consent: Where you voluntarily submit your personal data through our contact form, WhatsApp, or email, you provide explicit consent for us to process that data to respond to your inquiry or deliver the requested service.
• Contractual Necessity: Where processing is necessary to fulfill a legal service engagement you have entered into with us.
• Legal Obligation: Where processing is required to comply with our legal or regulatory obligations as a registered legal practitioner under Indian law.
• Legitimate Interests: For website analytics and security monitoring, where our legitimate interest in improving our services and protecting our platform does not override your fundamental privacy rights.

05.No Sale or Sharing of Personal Data

Your personal data is disclosed to third parties only in the following strictly limited and lawful circumstances:

• Courts & Government Authorities: Where necessary to file applications, petitions, or notices on your behalf with courts, the Sub-Registrar office, police stations, government departments, RTI public authorities, or any other authority — as explicitly directed by you.
• Legally Mandated Disclosure: Where we are compelled by a lawful court order, statutory authority, or binding legal obligation under Indian law to disclose specific data. We will, wherever legally permissible, notify you prior to such disclosure.
• Professional Associates: Where a matter requires consultation with another advocate, legal practitioner, or counsel, we share only the minimum data required, strictly under a duty of confidentiality consistent with Bar Council of India norms.
• Service Infrastructure Providers: Our website may be hosted or operated using third-party infrastructure providers (such as web hosting companies or cloud services). These providers act solely as processors under our instructions, are bound by strict data processing agreements, and are prohibited from using your data for any independent purpose.

No data broker, advertiser, social media platform, political organization, insurance company, or financial institution receives your personal data from Vakil Prime — in raw, aggregated, or any other form — for any purpose.

06.Analytics & Website Performance

This website uses web analytics tools to collect anonymised data about how visitors interact with our pages. The purpose of analytics is exclusively to understand user behaviour in aggregate form — such as which pages are most visited, average session duration, and geographic distribution of visitors — in order to improve the website's content and performance.

Analytics data we collect or receive includes: page view counts, session durations, browser and device types, approximate geographic location (country/state level only), referral sources, and navigation flows. This data is processed in anonymised or pseudonymised form and is not linked to any individual's identity by us.

Where third-party analytics tools (such as Google Analytics or equivalent services) are used, these tools may set cookies on your device and transmit data to their respective servers as governed by their own privacy policies. Vakil Prime does not control the data processing practices of third-party analytics providers. We configure these tools to minimize personal data collection to the extent the tools permit (e.g., IP anonymization where available).

You may opt out of analytics data collection by enabling the "Do Not Track" setting in your browser, installing a browser-level ad/analytics blocker, or using the opt-out mechanism provided by your analytics provider (e.g., the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on). Opting out of analytics does not affect your ability to use this website or our services in any way.

07.Cookies Policy

This website uses cookies — small text files placed on your device by your browser — to enable core functionality and collect analytics data. We do not use cookies for advertising, retargeting, or third-party tracking of your browsing activity outside this website.

We do not use advertising cookies, third-party tracking cookies, social media pixel cookies, or cross-site retargeting cookies of any kind. You may manage or delete cookies at any time through your browser settings. Note that disabling strictly necessary cookies may impair website functionality.

08.Attorney-Client Privilege & Confidentiality

All communications between a Client and Vakil Prime made in the context of seeking or receiving legal advice are protected by attorney-client privilege under Section 126 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (and its counterpart under the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023). This privilege belongs to the Client and may only be waived by the Client.

Information shared by a Client during a legal engagement — including matter details, strategy discussions, documents, and instructions — is treated as strictly privileged and confidential. Such information will not be disclosed to any third party without the Client's explicit consent, except as compelled by law.

Privilege and confidentiality under this section apply in addition to, and independently of, the data protection provisions of this Privacy Policy. They survive the termination of any engagement.

09.Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Our specific retention practices are:

• General Enquiries: Data from general website enquiries or unanswered consultations is retained for a maximum of 12 months and then securely deleted.
• Active Engagements: Data related to an ongoing legal engagement is retained for the full duration of the engagement plus a minimum period of 7 years after the engagement concludes — in accordance with professional record-keeping standards under the Bar Council of India Rules and applicable Indian limitation law.
• Court & Government Submissions: Copies of documents filed with courts or government authorities are retained in our professional records for 7 years as required by professional conduct rules.
• Analytics Data: Anonymised website analytics data is retained for a maximum of 26 months in line with standard analytics platform retention practices. This data cannot be linked to individual users.
• Accounting Records: Payment and invoicing records are retained for 7 years as required under applicable Indian financial regulations.

Upon expiry of the applicable retention period, personal data is securely deleted or irreversibly anonymised. You may request early deletion of your data subject to the limitations described in the Data Rights section below.

10.Data Security

Vakil Prime implements reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• HTTPS encryption on all pages of this website.
• Access controls limiting personal data access to authorized personnel only, on a strict need-to-know basis.
• Secure storage of client documents with access authentication.
• Regular review and update of our internal data handling practices.

While we employ commercially reasonable security measures, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data. Communication via WhatsApp is subject to WhatsApp's own encryption and privacy practices. We recommend that you do not share highly sensitive information (such as full financial credentials) via any messaging platform.

In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights or freedoms, we will notify you and the relevant authority in accordance with the requirements of the DPDP Act 2023 and applicable Indian law as soon as reasonably practicable.

11.Your Rights as a Data Principal

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 and applicable Indian law, you ("Data Principal") have the following rights with respect to your personal data held by us:

• Right to Access: You may request a summary of the personal data we hold about you and how it is being processed.
• Right to Correction: You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Erasure (Right to Be Forgotten): You may request deletion of your personal data where it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, subject to our legal retention obligations. Data subject to attorney-client privilege, court filings, or regulatory retention requirements cannot be deleted on request.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
• Right to Grievance Redressal: You have the right to have your privacy grievance addressed by our Grievance Officer within the timeframe specified under the DPDP Act 2023 (see Section 15 below).
• Right to Nominate: You may nominate another individual to exercise your rights on your behalf in the event of your incapacity or death.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Grievance Officer using the details in Section 15. We will respond to valid requests within thirty (30) days. We may request proof of identity before processing any rights request.

Please note that certain rights may be limited or overridden by our legal obligations as a legal practitioner, including professional record-keeping duties, court-mandated retention, and attorney-client privilege.

12.Children's Privacy

This website and our services are directed exclusively at individuals aged 18 years and above. We do not knowingly collect personal data from any person under the age of 18 without the verifiable consent of a parent or legal guardian, as required by the DPDP Act 2023.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child under 18 has submitted personal data to us without your consent, please contact our Grievance Officer immediately using the details in Section 15. We will investigate and take appropriate steps to delete the data if confirmed.

Where legal services are sought on behalf of a minor (such as a succession certificate for a minor's inheritance), data relating to the minor is processed solely for the purpose of that engagement, strictly under the instruction of the parent or legal guardian acting on behalf of the minor.

13.Third-Party Links

This website may contain links to external websites, government portals, legal databases, or third-party platforms (such as the RTI Online portal, UP IGRS portal, eChallan portal, or WhatsApp). These links are provided for convenience and informational purposes only.

Vakil Prime has no control over and accepts no responsibility for the privacy practices, data handling, content, security, or availability of any third-party website. We strongly encourage you to review the privacy policy of every website you visit. Our linking to any third-party website does not constitute an endorsement of that website or its operator.

When you click a WhatsApp link on our website to contact us, the communication is transmitted through WhatsApp's platform and subject to WhatsApp's Privacy Policy (governed by Meta Platforms Inc.). We recommend reviewing WhatsApp's terms before sharing sensitive documents via that platform.

14.Compliance — DPDP Act 2023 & IT Rules 2021

This Privacy Policy is drafted in compliance with the following applicable Indian laws and regulations, which are listed for reference:

• Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) — India's primary personal data protection legislation, enacted to regulate the processing of digital personal data.
• Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 — Governing electronic data, cyber security obligations, and sensitive personal data protection.
• Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 — Specifying obligations for collecting, handling, and protecting sensitive personal information.
• Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 — Requiring privacy policies, grievance officer designation, and complaint redressal mechanisms for digital platforms.
• Advocates Act, 1961 and Bar Council of India Rules — Governing professional confidentiality obligations of legal practitioners.
• Indian Evidence Act, 1872 / Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 — Governing attorney-client privilege.

As the regulatory framework in India continues to evolve, we commit to reviewing and updating this Policy to maintain compliance with all applicable laws as they are enacted, amended, or enforced.

15.Grievance Officer

In compliance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, Vakil Prime designates the following Grievance Officer to address privacy complaints, data rights requests, and any concerns regarding this Policy:

Complaints must be submitted in writing (via email or postal letter). Please include your full name, contact details, and a clear description of your grievance or data rights request. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint and provide a substantive response or resolution within thirty (30) days.

If you are not satisfied with the Grievance Officer's resolution, you may escalate your complaint to the Data Protection Board of India once it is constituted and operational under the DPDP Act 2023.

16.Changes to This Policy

Vakil Prime reserves the right to update or revise this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices, applicable law, or regulatory requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the "Effective Date" and "Last Reviewed" dates at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Your continued use of this website or engagement of our services after the publication of any revised Policy constitutes your acknowledgement of and agreement to the updated terms.

For changes that materially affect how we process your personal data during an ongoing engagement, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you directly via WhatsApp or email.

17.Contact for Privacy Enquiries

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your personal data, please contact us using the details below: