Company not returning my marksheet and cheque
I had a 4-year career gap from 2020 to 2024. Then I got a job at a startup company in Bangalore. At the time of joining, they told me they would provide training and later deploy me to a client project. I signed a 3-year bond with a penalty of ₹3 lakhs.
After 6 months of training, they forced me to attend interviews for their client by showing 4.5 years of experience. I worked for 1.5 years with inflated experience. Later, they again tried to deploy me as a candidate with 5.6 years of experience even though I had only 2.2 years of actual experience. So I resigned because I did not want to cheat any client for their profit.
Now they are asking for ₹3 lakhs for a relieving letter and the return of my documents thru legal notice. They are also threatening me with a negative background verification in the future. I have the necessary proof for misrepresentation to client.
If I go legally, can I reduce the amount? How much time will it take?