Punjabi & Hindi — Brampton & Peel
Kahlon Law is a criminal defence firm that works with clients in English, Punjabi and Hindi, with offices in Brampton and Mississauga and a regular practice at the A. Grenville and William Davis Courthouse on Hurontario Street. In the 2021 Census, about 189,000 Brampton residents, close to three in ten, reported being able to hold a conversation in Punjabi, and more than 113,000 in Hindi, yet criminal proceedings run entirely in English. A court interpreter translates what is said in the courtroom. A lawyer who speaks your language does something different: explains the charge, the bail conditions, the disclosure and the immigration risk in a way you can act on, and talks to the parents, spouse or siblings who are about to become sureties. This page explains where language actually changes the outcome of a Peel criminal case, and where it does not.
Being able to talk to your lawyer in Punjabi or Hindi is a matter of comfort. It is also, on several points, a matter of substance.
Section 10(b) of the Charter requires that on arrest or detention you be told of your right to counsel in a way you actually understand, and be given a reasonable opportunity to exercise it. Where an accused’s English is limited, police are expected to take steps, such as using an interpreter or a Punjabi-speaking officer, to make sure the right is understood. A statement taken from someone who did not understand the caution can be challenged as involuntary, and an impaired driving demand read to a driver who did not understand it raises the same issue.
On one of the firm’s impaired driving files, the client’s language barrier and the way his right to counsel was handled produced Charter violations that were put squarely before the Crown. The impaired charge was withdrawn for a plea to careless driving, and the client left without a criminal record. Language was not an excuse in that case. It was the defence.
In court, section 14 of the Charter guarantees an accused who does not understand or speak the language of the proceedings the assistance of an interpreter. In Ontario the court provides an accredited interpreter at no cost in criminal matters, and counsel requests one in advance so that the appearance is not adjourned. The interpreter translates the proceedings for you. They do not advise you, they do not translate for your family in the gallery, and they are not present when you and your lawyer decide what to do.
A large share of the people charged in Brampton are permanent residents, international students, work permit holders or visitors, and for them the criminal sentence is often the smaller consequence. The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act makes a permanent resident inadmissible for serious criminality on a conviction for an offence punishable by ten years or more, or on a sentence of more than six months. A temporary resident, including a student, is inadmissible on a conviction for any indictable offence, and hybrid offences, which is most of the Criminal Code, count as indictable for that purpose.
That is why a plea that looks sensible on the criminal side can be a disaster on the immigration side, and why the goal on many files is a result that is not a conviction at all. A peace bond, a withdrawal after diversion, a plea to a Highway Traffic Act offence such as careless driving, or a discharge each avoid a conviction for immigration purposes, and each was the outcome on files the firm has handled for a student on a study permit, an Uber Eats driver who was a permanent resident, and a client facing a three-year sentence and removal on a sexual assault allegation. Immigration advice should sit alongside criminal advice from the first meeting, and the two lawyers should be talking to each other. See immigration consequences of a criminal conviction.
The charges are the same as everyone else’s. The pattern of questions is different, because the questions are usually about status, family and reputation as much as about jail.
| Charge | What clients usually ask first | Where to read more |
|---|---|---|
| Impaired driving, over 80, refusal | Whether they will lose the licence they drive for work with, and whether a conviction affects their PR card | Brampton impaired driving |
| Domestic assault | How to get back into the house, and whether the complainant can withdraw the charge | Brampton domestic assault |
| Assault | Whether a first-time charge means a record, and whether self-defence applies | Brampton assault |
| Drug and firearm charges | Whether a parent can be a surety, and whether the case can be won on the search | Brampton drug charges and Brampton gun charges |
| Theft and fraud | Whether a shoplifting or employment allegation will end a study or work permit | Brampton theft and fraud |
| Sexual assault | What happens to the family if the allegation is public, and how long a trial takes | Brampton sexual assault |
| A son or daughter under 18 | Whether the parents have to attend, and whether a youth record follows the child | Brampton youth criminal lawyer |
In many Punjabi and Hindi speaking households the person calling is not the accused. It is a father, a wife or an older brother, often the evening of the arrest, trying to work out what a bail hearing is and whether they should go to the courthouse. The firm takes that call in the language the family speaks.
There are limits, and they protect the client. The lawyer acts for the accused, and privileged conversations about the facts of the allegation happen with the client, not the family. What the family needs to understand is different: where the accused will live, what the conditions will mean for the household, what a surety promises the court and what happens if a condition is broken. Those conversations happen in Punjabi or Hindi where that is what the family speaks, so that a parent who takes the stand at the Davis Courthouse understands what they are agreeing to before the Crown starts asking questions.
Selected outcomes for clients whose language or immigration status was central to the file, drawn from the firm’s published Cases History. Every case turns on its own facts and evidence, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Charter violations tied to the client’s language barrier and the handling of his right to counsel were put squarely before the Crown. The impaired driving charge was withdrawn for a plea to careless driving under the Highway Traffic Act, leaving the client without a criminal record.
The client was in Canada on a student visa, and a criminal conviction would have meant deportation. A detailed review of the evidence identified Charter breaches, and the Crown withdrew the criminal charges for a plea to careless driving, preserving both his status and his licence.
Charged while working as an Uber Eats driver, the client was a permanent resident for whom a conviction could have led to removal from Canada. Lengthy discussions with the Crown over Charter violations ended in a careless driving plea and a fine, with no criminal record and his driving privileges preserved.
The client came to the firm after losing confidence in his previous lawyer, facing a potential three-year sentence and deportation. A thorough review of the file uncovered a motive that undermined the prosecution’s case, and the Crown withdrew all charges.
Peel criminal charges begin in the Ontario Court of Justice at 7755 Hurontario Street. For an adult released by police or by a justice who has not yet retained a lawyer, the first appearance is almost always in courtroom 104 at 9:00 a.m., and accused people may attend by Zoom unless a judicial officer directs otherwise, using meeting ID 678 0541 8119 and passcode 109554. Drug charges prosecuted by the federal Crown begin in courtroom 204 on Thursdays, and youth matters sit in courtroom 204 on Tuesdays. Your release papers list the exact courtroom and date, and the daily list is posted at ontariocourtdates.ca from 4:00 p.m. the day before.
A family member cannot act as your interpreter in court. If you need one, tell the court or duty counsel at the outset and an accredited interpreter will be arranged, though on a first appearance that sometimes means an adjournment. Once you retain a lawyer and a designation of counsel is filed, your lawyer attends the case management appearances in courtroom 307 without you, and the interpreter question only arises for the dates you must attend, such as a plea, a trial or a sentencing, where counsel books the interpreter in advance. How Peel files move from the first appearance through disclosure to resolution or trial is on the Brampton criminal lawyer page.
You speak directly with a lawyer, and the firm works with clients and their families in English, Punjabi and Hindi. Flexible payment plans are available on retained matters where that fits the file. Offices in Mississauga and at 100 Queen St W, Brampton. Call 416-502-8555.
General information about Ontario criminal law, not legal advice for your matter. Last reviewed September 2026.
Verified Google reviews from clients on how the firm communicated, prepared and supported them. Every matter is different, and past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
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The court will give you an interpreter. It will not explain your options, your conditions or your immigration risk in your language. Your lawyer should.
Answers to the questions we hear most from Punjabi and Hindi speaking clients and their families after an arrest in Brampton or Peel. Every file turns on its own facts.
Kahlon Law works with clients and their families directly in English, Punjabi and Hindi. Advice about the charge, the release conditions, the disclosure and your options is given in the language you are most comfortable in, without a third party in the room.
Yes. Section 14 of the Charter guarantees an accused who does not understand the language of the proceedings the assistance of an interpreter, and in Ontario the court provides an accredited interpreter at no cost in criminal matters. Your lawyer requests one in advance for the dates you must attend so the appearance is not adjourned. The interpreter translates the proceedings; they do not advise you or translate for your family.
Because the decisions in a criminal case are made outside the courtroom. Whether to accept a peace bond, plead to a lesser offence, complete diversion or go to trial, and what your bail conditions actually prohibit, are conversations between you and your lawyer. The interpreter is not part of them. Understanding them fully is what prevents accidental breaches and bad pleas.
Yes. Families often make the first call, and on a bail hearing a parent or spouse is usually the proposed surety. The firm explains the bail process, the conditions and the surety’s role to the family in Punjabi or Hindi. Privileged conversations about the facts of the allegation remain between the lawyer and the client.
It can. Police must communicate your right to counsel in a way you actually understand, and a statement taken from someone who did not understand the caution can be challenged. On one of the firm’s impaired driving files, Charter violations tied to the client’s language barrier led to the impaired charge being withdrawn. Tell your lawyer exactly what was said and what you understood.
A charge alone does not make you inadmissible, but a conviction can. A temporary resident, including a student, becomes inadmissible on a conviction for any indictable offence, and hybrid offences count as indictable for that purpose, which covers most Criminal Code charges. Outcomes that are not convictions, such as a peace bond, a withdrawal after diversion, a Highway Traffic Act plea or a discharge, avoid that result. Get immigration advice alongside criminal advice before agreeing to anything.
A peace bond is not a conviction and does not create a criminal record, so it does not make you inadmissible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. It can still need to be disclosed on some applications, and an outstanding charge can delay a citizenship application until it is resolved. Confirm the specifics with an immigration lawyer for your situation.
It is administrative. Counsel is confirmed, the status of disclosure is noted and the next date is set. Unrepresented adults are usually scheduled in courtroom 104 at 9:00 a.m. and may attend by Zoom. There is no trial and the judge does not hear your account. If you need an interpreter, say so at the outset.
Kahlon Law has offices in Brampton, at 100 Queen Street West, and in Mississauga, at 223-6200 Dixie Road, and appears regularly at the A. Grenville and William Davis Courthouse at 7755 Hurontario Street in Brampton. Call 416-502-8555 to speak with a lawyer in English, Punjabi or Hindi.
If you or a family member has been charged in Brampton or Peel and would rather talk it through in Punjabi or Hindi, call Kahlon Law. You will speak directly with a lawyer, in your language, about the charge, the conditions and what happens next.
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