How a Delhi lawyer's initiative is making notarisation of legal documents easier

“That’s just how it is.” This is the answer engineer-turned-lawyer Karmanya Singh Sareen got when he questioned the requirement of physical presence for notarisation of affidavits..He saw many court cases repeatedly getting adjourned simply because notarised documents took time and sometimes got lost in passage.“We saw the problems faced by people with the current notarisation process in India. It is so difficult and cumbersome, especially for people outside India, or people who are old or indisposed, to get documents notarised,” Sareen said.Under the Notaries Act, 1952, the process of getting a legal document notarised, especially for Indians living abroad, is painstaking and time-consuming. One has to undertake a bureaucratic process for apostillisation of affidavits before the relevant Embassy/Consulate, and then send the document by post, which further takes several weeks to reach India..Sareen set out to find creative solution to this issue. His brainstorming led to the inception of ‘NotarEase’, an online platform where notarisation can be done online by any person sitting anywhere in the world. Launched in February 2024, NotarEase has quickly garnered users and received the legal stamp of approval from the courts. NotarEase, Sareen says, provides a faster and more convenient method of notarisation online. Electronic signatures are taken for notarisation that are linked with eMudhra website, a licensed certifying authority under the Indian government..This process is particularly helpful for senior citizens, differently-abled litigants, and people living outside India who now have an alternative to physically travelling to the notary.“My teacher, who is almost 60 years old and has a case before the Delhi High Court, has used NotarEase to sign affidavits from the comfort of his home,” said Sareen..How it works.NotarEase hires notary officers who are qualified and registered under The Notaries Act, 1952. The user has to pre-book an appointment with the notary and upload identification and documents. There is no requirement of taking printouts or signing physically. The entire process of notarisation is done over a call with the notary officer, who verifies the identification of the person, takes screenshots, and completes the process in the matter of minutes. The website also provides an easy step-by-step procedure to get documents notarised online..Acceptance by courts.Initially, online notarisation was not accepted before the courts. Then Sareen and his team filed an application before the Delhi High Court and successfully satisfied the Court about the legality of online notarisation through NotarEase.Now, documents notarised by NotarEase have been recognised and accepted by several courts in India. The Delhi High Court orders allowing notarisation through NotarEase can be read here.Sareen says that NotarEase has been allowed in a few cases at the Supreme Court as well. He added,“Courts have now accepted documents notarised online with NotarEase, which has significantly improved access to justice for people in India and abroad.”