The legal routes available to a Chennai supplier
| Route | When it fits | Where it is heard |
|---|---|---|
| Legal demand notice | Every case: it puts the buyer on record and starts the clock | Sent from FundRaksha; no court yet |
| MSME Samadhaan | You are a Udyam-registered micro or small supplier and payment is over 45 days late | Tamil Nadu Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council, Tamil Nadu |
| Section 138, NI Act | The buyer’s cheque bounced | Metropolitan Magistrate courts at Egmore, George Town, Saidapet and Alandur for Section 138 |
| Summary suit (Order XXXVII CPC) | Fixed sum on invoices or a written contract, no real defence | City Civil Court and the Madras High Court Commercial Division for recovery suits. |
| Arbitration | Your contract or purchase order has an arbitration clause | Arbitral tribunal; award enforced like a decree |
Your advocate chooses the route after the free assessment, and often runs two in parallel: a Section 138 complaint for the bounced cheque and a Samadhaan claim for the balance, for example.
Recovering B2B dues in Chennai: what is specific here
Chennai’s auto cluster in Oragadam, Sriperumbudur and Ambattur means thousands of tier-2 and tier-3 component suppliers waiting on large buyers, often beyond the MSME Act’s 45-day limit. Leather exporters in Pallavaram and engineering job-workers in Guindy face similar delays. MSME Samadhaan before the Tamil Nadu Facilitation Council is a strong route for Udyam-registered units here.
Main industries: automobile and auto components, IT and BPO services, leather and footwear, engineering and pharmaceuticals.
Courts: Metropolitan Magistrate courts at Egmore, George Town, Saidapet and Alandur for Section 138; City Civil Court and the Madras High Court Commercial Division for recovery suits.
MSME claims: Udyam-registered micro and small suppliers in Chennai file on MSME Samadhaan, heard by the Tamil Nadu Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council (Commissionerate of Industries and Commerce (MSME Department), Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai). The Council sits where the supplier is, so a Chennai supplier can pursue a buyer in another state from home.
What the law gives you
- MSMED Act, 2006 (Sections 15–18): payment within 45 days of acceptance at most; compound interest at three times the RBI bank rate on delay; conciliation and arbitration by the Facilitation Council, which must aim to decide within 90 days.
- Section 138, Negotiable Instruments Act: a bounced cheque is a criminal offence; notice within 30 days of the bank memo, 15 days for the drawer to pay, complaint within the next month; punishment up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine up to twice the cheque amount, or both.
- Section 43B(h), Income-tax Act: a buyer who pays a micro or small supplier late cannot deduct the expense in that year, a strong commercial lever in the notice.
- Order XXXVII, CPC: summary suits for liquidated sums, where the buyer needs the court’s leave to defend.
How recovery works for a business in Chennai
- Free consultation and case assessment. Send us the invoice, purchase order or delivery proof and the buyer’s messages. We tell you what is recoverable and how.
- Dedicated advocate within 24 hours. Your advocate sends a legal notice as an e-notice the same day and by registered post, with proof of delivery saved.
- Negotiation and settlement. The advocate calls the buyer, explains the consequences and agrees a payment plan. About 60% of our cases close here.
- Filing if needed. MSME Samadhaan before the Tamil Nadu Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council, a Section 138 complaint in the Chennai magistrate courts, a summary suit or arbitration, handled by the same advocate.
You pay nothing upfront. Our fee is 30% of the amount actually recovered; if nothing is recovered there is no fee. Court fees, where a matter is filed, are borne by you and told to you in advance.