During the Mughal period, the word wakil referred to

During the Mughal period, the term wakil (or vakil) was used in two main contexts. While the Wakil-us-Sultanat held the highest administrative office (serving as a Prime Minister or Regent), the term more broadly referred to agents or representatives. High-ranking nobles, regional rulers (such as Rajput Rajas), and even European trading companies maintained their own wakils at the Mughal imperial court or at the courts of provincial governors. These individuals acted as intermediaries, managed their masters' interests, submitted petitions, and relayed official news (Akhbarat) back to their employers. They were essentially diplomatic and administrative links rather than legal practitioners or "lawyers" in the modern sense.