Template · Guide with template

How to draft an NDA in India: clauses, enforceability and a free template (2026)

iPleaders · blog.ipleaders.in Free Intermediate India

A 2026 India-specific guide with an annotated mutual NDA (and a one-way variant): the clauses, the four standard exclusions, Section 27 and the non-compete trap, stamping, e-signatures and the DPDP Act layer.

  • Most internet templates are US-flavoured; Indian courts test Section 27 reasonableness and stamping.
  • An unstamped NDA cannot be acted on in court until duty and penalty are paid; e-stamp at signing.
  • An NDA does not need registration; notarising is optional.

The question it answers

  1. Where can I get an NDA template, and what should it say?

Read with it

  1. The most grounded, non-lawyerly take on the fear that keeps first-time founders up at night. Two founders who've tracked... Startups.com Podcast · ~35 min Will Somebody Try To Steal My Startup Idea? (Startup Therapy, Ep. 50) Wil Schroter & Ryan Rutan
  2. A crisp, practical counterweight to NDA paranoia that lays out when a confidentiality agreement is genuinely useful versus when... LinkedIn Article · ~6 min read Startups don't need NDAs: why nobody will steal your idea Startup community (LinkedIn)
  3. A free standard mutual NDA written by a committee of experienced lawyers and used by over 2,000 companies, with a cover page... commonpaper.com Template · Template Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement (Common Paper Standard) Common Paper
  4. An open-source standard mutual NDA, free to use under CC BY 4.0, with a cover page that carries the deal-specific terms. github.com Template · Template Bonterms Mutual NDA Bonterms
  5. The e-stamping service many Indian states use to pay stamp duty on agreements such as NDAs online. shcilestamp.com Tool · Government-authorised portal SHCIL e-Stamping Stock Holding Corporation of India
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