u/OmgNoWtf

Please pardon the use of GPT.

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for advice from Indian employment/labour lawyers or anyone who has handled unpaid-salary recovery. I currently don’t have a lawyer and want to understand my options before proceeding.
I worked with a private company/founder in a creative/marketing role for approximately 45 days, with a claimed salary of ₹75,000/month. This was my second employment with them. I have an offer letter from my first employment, but it does not mention the salary.
The actual work was done through the company’s official email, Google Drive, Canva and internal systems, which I no longer have access to.

Evidence I currently have:

1. Complete WhatsApp history with the founder.
2. Offer letter establishing the employment relationship.
3. Screen recording of my Instagram conversation.
   Screenshot of a now-deleted Instagram message from him.
4. Photos from the office, product shoots and other work.

The WhatsApp history contains repeated demands for my unpaid salary/dues. I explicitly stated the ₹75,000 salary figure and approximately 45-day work period. His responses appear to dispute the amount/work/attendance rather than deny that I worked there.
He has also made statements such as “I have 100 reasons not to pay and have a lot of reasons to pay” and said he would “speak to you and show and clear once and for all.”
The deleted Instagram message is also relevant. He asked me to come to Chandigarh or said he would be in Delhi, offered to cover my travel/food/stay, and said: “And with that will also settle our accounts…” I did not travel to Delhi/Chandigarh.
More recently, I reached out to him again today after finding out that he has unblocked me, he refused to meet and told me to “explore all your legal options” and said he would respect the decision of any legal authority.
My main concern is that the strongest records of my actual work remain on company-controlled systems that I can no longer access.

What I want to understand:
Is this primarily a labour/wage recovery matter, or could there be grounds for a criminal complaint?

Should I send a legal notice first or approach the Labour Commissioner/appropriate authority?

How strong is my evidence of the agreed salary despite the offer letter not mentioning it?

Can WhatsApp conversations establish employment, remuneration, work performed and outstanding dues?

Does his “settle our accounts” message have evidentiary value?

Can I legally seek production of the company’s email/Drive/Canva records?

Are there limitation issues given the age of the dispute?

Does sending angry/emotional messages (without threats of violence) negatively affect my case?

What is the appropriate forum/procedure in Haryana (Panchkula) ?

What evidence should I preserve/recover right now?
I’m not looking to publicly shame anyone. I simply want to recover money for work performed and take the legally correct route.
I’d especially appreciate responses from practising Indian employment/labour lawyers or people with relevant experience.

Thank you.

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Thank you.