The SARAL Private Instruments Manual
The SARAL Private Instruments Manual provides a set of guidelines for drafting private legal documents ranging from rent agreements to commercial contracts.
Private legal documents like contracts tend to be more nuanced in respect of the negotiating parties. A principle-based approach to drafting private documents has been delineated in the Manual focusing on the language as well as the form of a contract or other private legal document.
On July 26, 2025, a closed-door roundtable was held to discuss the SARAL Private Instruments Manual, a principle-based guide to simplifying contracts, service agreements, and privacy policies. Transaction lawyers, practitioners, and academics shared insights on challenges such as over-reliance on rigid templates, deliberate ambiguity in drafting, and the balance between precision and accessibility. The takeaways from the roundtable will shape the next phase of SARAL’s work to make private legal documents simpler, clearer, and more citizen-friendly.
Filed Under
About the Authors
Pragya is a Senior Resident Fellow at Vidhi, where she has worked for four years in the area of Legal Design and Regulation. Prior to this, she was a Legal Assistant at the Law and Legislative Department, Government of Chhattisgarh, focusing on regulatory compliance and drafting of State rules and statutes, along with policy research and government contracts. Pragya holds a B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) from Hidayatullah National Law University (2018) and an LL.M. in Constitutional Law from National Law University Odisha (2020). Her research interests include regulatory design, post-colonial feminist studies, and trade law. She is an avid reader with a love for dystopian and fantasy literature.
Rakshita is a Senior Resident Fellow with the Legal Design and Regulation team. Rakshita graduated from National Law University, Jodhpur with a B.A., LL.B. (Hons.). Prior to joining Vidhi, she has worked at the Centre for Policy Research and PRS Legislative Research. Her research areas have involved federal water governance, and health, technology and environment laws. She is broadly interested in understanding the social, political and economic contexts behind the law and how systems can be designed to better fit these contexts.
Kartavi is a Senior Resident Fellow working with the Legal Design and Regulation Team. She completed her B.Sc. LLB (Intellectual Property Hons.) from National Law University Jodhpur in 2018 and obtained her LLM degree from National University of Singapore in 2022. Prior to joining Vidhi, she also worked as a Legal Researcher at the Delhi High Court where she worked on matters ranging from service law and IPR disputes to constitutional law. Her research interests lie in the areas of access to justice, technology policy and digital divide, climate change policy and education. Kartavi also enjoys theatre, cinema and asian literature.
Sunetra is a Senior Resident Fellow and leads Vidhi's work on Legal Design and Regulation. She primarily handles engaged and commissioned projects from various ministries, statutory authorities and regulators, where she provides legal research and drafting support at various stages of law-making. At Vidhi, she has worked with ministries such as the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Consumer Affairs. Her current projects at Vidhi include reforms in the area of digital economy, privacy law, data protection as well as healthcare systems and consumer protection. She has also written for The Indian Express and Firstpost. Sunetra graduated with B.A, LL. B (Hons) from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad in 2012. Subsequently, she worked at AZB& Partners, Bangalore for two years, where her work primarily involved general corporate matters, employment law and litigation. Thereafter, she obtained her LL.M in Intellectual Property Law from George Washington University, Washington D.C. in 2015.