EMERGENCY SERVICES

Judicial Assistance

If you are an American Citizen in India, with a judicial emergency please contact the Consulate General at +91-40-4033-8300, ext. 8441 or 8385 or 8406.

Arrests of U.S. Citizens

When the Consulate General is advised that an American has been arrested, the American Citizen Services Unit visits the American as soon as possible, provides information regarding the foreign legal system and a list of attorneys, and offers other assistance such as contacting family or friends on the prisoner’s behalf. Help can also be provided with transferring private funds for delivery to American prisoners. When a prisoner’s health or life is endangered by inadequate diet or medical care provided by the local prison, arrangements can be made for dietary food supplements and/or medical care through a U.S. Government loan authorized under the Emergency Medical and Dietary Assistance (EMDA) Program. Although the American Citizens Services Unit can provide informative and supportive assistance, they cannot “spring” an American from detention, serve as the prisoner’s legal representative, take “custody” of an American citizen, or force U.S. standards on the Indian judicial process. Nor can consular officers give legal advice or get better treatment for an American citizen than is given to local nationals.

Attorneys

American citizens may find themselves in need of professional legal advice during their stay in India. While the U.S. Consulate General cannot provide legal advice, we have developed a list of attorneys who practice law in the Hyderabad consular district, which is the state of Andhra Pradesh. The U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad assumes no responsibility for the professional ability or integrity of the persons whose names appear in the list. The order in which the names appear is alphabetical and has no other significance. All attorneys on the list have indicated that they and thier associates speak English proficiently.