Consultant (Legal) at Diaspora Engagement (DE) Division, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi (Up to Rs 83,300/month)

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India, has issued Advertisement No. Q/PF/575/35/2022 dated 15 July 2026 inviting applications for the engagement of 01 (one) Consultant (Legal) in the Diaspora Engagement (DE) Division at New Delhi.

The DE Division is the arm of the Ministry that handles the welfare and legal problems of Indians overseas. This consultancy therefore sits at the point where private international law meets diaspora welfare: NRI marital disputes, inter-country child abduction, and the difficulties faced by Indian students abroad.

This is a separate engagement from the two consultancies MEA advertised for its Legal and Treaties-I (L&T-I) Division. Applicants should quote the DE Division post specifically.

• Handling the various court cases in which the Ministry or the DE Division is a party.
• Seeking legal opinion in marital disputes, child abduction matters, and matters relating to Indian students abroad.
• Seeking legal opinion on the various bills of the DE Division, including the NRI Marriage Bill.

• The applicant should only be an Indian national.
• The applicant should hold a graduate degree in law and should have experience of practice in Sessions Court for 5 years, or High Court for 3 years, or Supreme Court for 2 years.
• The applicant should be in the age group of 27-40 years as on the last date of submission of the application.

The applicant should have domain knowledge of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) / Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) laws of India.

The remuneration package will be commensurate with the experience and profile of the selected candidate, subject to a maximum of Rs. 83,300/- (Rupees Eighty Three Thousand and Three Hundred only) per month, less applicable taxes. The consultancy fee once fixed remains unchanged for the term of the engagement.

No HRA is admissible. The consultant is not entitled to Provident Fund, pension, gratuity, medical attendance and treatment, seniority, promotion, or any other benefit available to regular employees of the Ministry. Where the consultant is required to travel as part of the duties, the Ministry bears travel, accommodation and per-diem costs as per its guidelines.

• The period of consultancy is 01 (one) year, extendable depending on assessment of performance, mutual willingness and the requirement.
• The contract may be terminated on one month's notice from either side, or on payment of one month's pay in lieu. Unauthorised absence may lead to termination.
• The engagement is on a full-time basis. Normal working hours are 0900 to 1730 hrs, with Saturdays and Sundays as weekend off. No extra allowance is payable for work beyond office hours or on holidays.
• The consultant shall not accept any other professional appointment, paid or otherwise, in the government or private sector during the term of engagement.
• Paid leave accrues at 1.5 days for each completed month of service, cannot be accumulated beyond a calendar year, and cannot be taken for more than 10 days at a time. Leave encashment is not permissible.
• The selected person must enter into a contract with the Ministry in a prescribed format with effect from the actual date of engagement.

Eligible candidates must apply in the prescribed proforma at Annexure I to the advertisement, attaching documents and certificates in support of educational qualifications and experience. Applications may be submitted by either mode:

• Online: by email to aopfsec@mea.gov.in, with the subject line clearly stating the candidate's name and the position applied for.
• Offline: by registered post in an envelope labelled "Application for the position of Consultant (Legal) in DE Division of Ministry of External Affairs", addressed to the Under Secretary (PF&PG), Ministry of External Affairs, Room No. 4071, Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan, 23-D, Janpath, New Delhi-110011.

Incomplete applications, applications without supporting documents, and applications not in the prescribed proforma will be summarily rejected.

The Ministry will review the applications and shortlist candidates for an interview or written test. Shortlisted candidates will be intimated by email, and the date, time and venue of the interview will be conveyed to the email address given in the application. Applicants must make their own arrangements to reach the place of interview; no TA/DA is payable. The decision of the Government regarding selection will be final.