I am a NRI living in US who want to contest the divorce case that my wife filed against me in India. The court hearing is in couple of weeks. I cannot travel to India for next few months because of prior commitments but my lawyer says I must be present for the first hearing to sign the Vakalatnama, only then he can represent me in the court. So some of my questions are
1. What is Vakalatnama? Does it mean power of attorney?
2. As I am unable to travel what are my options? Can I have my lawyer fax/scan it to me and return the signed copy via fax/scan or is it mandatory for me to be present there in person?
3. If I sign the scanned/faxed copy of the Vakalatnama should that be notarized in USA?or Can I just send a signed notarized document from USA stating my lawyer as the power of attorney?
4. Can the lawyer appear in the court first time without Vakalatnama to let the judge know we will be contesting and request that the Vakalatnama be produced at a later date?
5. Can I give the power of attorney to my dad who is in India and have him sign the Vakalatnama on my behalf and follow the court proceedings?
I do not want this to go to ex-parte but I could not travel any time soon. Please share your inputs.
Thank you.