Case Search at the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT)
Check AFT case status online by OA number, diary number, case number or party name. Official portal steps, a bench by bench table, and what each status word means. Last verified 6 October 2026.
Case Status Guide · Armed Forces Tribunal
Quick answer. To check AFT case status online, open the official AFT website case status page at aft.gov.in/case-status, or the Principal Bench page at aftdelhi.nic.in. Choose OA number, diary number, case number or party name, enter the details and the bench, and submit. The record shows the status and next hearing date.
The AFT hears service and court-martial matters of the armed forces. You can also create a free Claw account and search AFT by party name or case number across every bench. Last verified: 6 October 2026. Each method is explained below, step by step.
- Official portal: aftdelhi.nic.in (Case Status) and aft.gov.in/case-status. Regional benches may have their own sites.
- Lead methods: OA number and diary number. Case number and party name also work.
- Eleven benches: Principal Bench in Delhi plus ten Regional Benches. Know the bench before you search.
- Not on eCourts or NJDG: AFT is a tribunal outside that network.
- In Claw: create a free account, then search AFT by party name or case number across every bench.
- Last verified: 6 October 2026.
01How to check AFT case status online
The official source is the tribunal itself. The Principal Bench runs its case tracking at aftdelhi.nic.in (Case Status), and the central site also has a status page at aft.gov.in/case-status. Regional benches such as Kolkata also run their own sites, for example aftkolkata.nic.in. Follow these steps.
- Find your bench. AFT numbers do not carry a bench code, so the same OA number and year can exist at two benches. Know the bench first.
- Open the official portal for that bench and click Case Status.
- Pick the method. Lead with the OA number or the diary number. These are the two most used searches.
- Enter the details. For an OA search, choose the case type OA, then type the number and the year. For a diary search, type the diary number and the year.
- Submit and open the record. You will see the parties, the status, the next date of hearing and the orders passed.
- Check the cause list the evening before the hearing to confirm the matter is actually listed.
The portal is the primary source
Always treat the AFT portal as the source of record. Claw is a layer above it that saves you from searching bench by bench. For a certified copy of an order, the registry of the bench concerned remains the reliable route.
02AFT case status methods: OA number, diary number, case number, party name
The AFT hears service and court-martial matters of the armed forces. One page, every method. Use the OA number or diary number if you have either, because they identify one case exactly.
| Method | What you need | Where to enter it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| By OA number | Case type OA, the number and the year (for example OA 783 of 2025), plus the bench | Case Status on aftdelhi.nic.in or the regional bench site | Most used method. Same number and year can exist at another bench, so confirm the bench. |
| By diary number | Diary number and year, given when the application was first lodged at the registry | Case Status, diary number option | Use this when the OA number is not yet assigned. Keep both numbers once registered. |
| By case number | Case type (OA, TA, MA or RA), number and year | Case Status, case number option | TA is a transfer application, MA is miscellaneous, RA is review. |
| By party name | Applicant or respondent name, often with the year | Case Status, title (petitioner/respondent) option | Rank and name are not always entered the same way. Try both party fields and spelling variants. |
| By bench | The bench: Principal Bench Delhi, or regional benches Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Guwahati, Jabalpur, Srinagar (see Jammu) | Bench page via aftdelhi.nic.in or the bench site | Pick the bench first, then search by OA number, diary number or party name inside it. |
| In Claw (free account) | Party name or case number | Claw case search after you sign up free | Covers every AFT bench in one search, with hearing and order alerts. |
The portal may also let you search by judge, advocate or subject.
03AFT benches and cities: where to check each one
The AFT sits at a Principal Bench in New Delhi and ten Regional Benches. There is no single search that covers all of them on the official side, so use this table to find the right place. This one page answers the city questions, so you do not need a separate page for each bench.
| Bench / city | Type | How to check status |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | Principal Bench | aftdelhi.nic.in Case Status. Highest volume. Start here for "aft delhi oa case status". |
| Chandigarh | Regional Bench (three courts) | Bench page via aftdelhi.nic.in or the bench site. Search by OA number or diary number. |
| Lucknow | Regional Bench (three courts) | Bench page via aftdelhi.nic.in or the bench site. Search by OA number or party name. |
| Jaipur | Regional Bench | Bench page via aftdelhi.nic.in. Search by OA number or diary number. |
| Kolkata | Regional Bench | aftkolkata.nic.in has its own case status page by case number. |
| Guwahati | Regional Bench | Bench page via aftdelhi.nic.in or the bench site. |
| Chennai | Regional Bench | Bench page via aftdelhi.nic.in, which also lists the Chennai cause list. |
| Kochi | Regional Bench | Bench page via aftdelhi.nic.in, which also lists the Kochi cause list. |
| Mumbai | Regional Bench | Bench page via aftdelhi.nic.in or the bench site. |
| Jabalpur | Regional Bench | Bench page via aftdelhi.nic.in or the bench site. |
| Jammu | Regional Bench | Bench page via aftdelhi.nic.in. Matters from Srinagar are generally heard at the Jammu bench. |
| Srinagar | Sittings / covered by Jammu bench | Check the Jammu bench record. Confirm with the registry if unsure. |
Each bench has territorial jurisdiction tied broadly to where the applicant is posted, was last posted, or resides. Searching the wrong bench is the most common reason a search returns nothing.
04What AFT case status words mean
These are the status words you will meet. Exact labels can differ a little by bench.
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pending | The case is registered and not yet decided. It may be waiting for reply, rejoinder or a hearing date. |
| Disposed | The tribunal has decided the case and passed a final order. Check the order for the result. |
| Listed | The case is on the cause list for a given date and bench. |
| For orders | The matter is posted for the tribunal to pass an order, often on an interim application or after arguments. |
| Reserved | Arguments are over and the judgement is kept for later. The order will be pronounced on a date to be notified. |
| Adjourned | The hearing did not go ahead and a new date was given. |
A disposed OA can still have a review application (RA) or an appeal pending. Check linked case types too.
05Cause list and next hearing date
Each bench publishes its own daily cause list, usually as a PDF the evening before the hearing. There is no combined cause list for all eleven benches. The next date of hearing in the case status tells you the date, and the cause list tells you whether the matter is really listed and in what order.
If you handle matters at more than one bench, you must check each bench list separately. For a general method, see how to manage cause lists across multiple courts in India and how to automate cause list alerts.
06If your AFT case does not show up
- Wrong bench. The top cause. Confirm the bench with your instructing office or the registry.
- Wrong case type or year. OA, TA, MA and RA are separate series. A transferred case may carry a TA number.
- Name mismatch. Rank, full name and service number are not always entered the same way. Try the diary number, both party fields, and spelling variants.
- Very new filing. A fresh application may only have a diary number for a while. Search by diary number until the OA number is assigned.
- Portal down or slow. Government portals go offline at times. Try the central aft.gov.in page or the bench site, or the government services listing at services.india.gov.in.
AFT is outside eCourts
The AFT is a tribunal outside the eCourts and NJDG network. AFT matters do not appear on the eCourts portal, so searching a CNR number there will not help.
For the wider picture of how search differs across Indian courts and tribunals, see case search across Indian courts. For another specialist tribunal with the same fragmentation, see Debt Recovery Tribunal and DRAT tracking.
07Check it in one step with Claw
Create a free Claw account and search AFT (Armed Forces Tribunal) by party name or case number across every bench, with hearing and order alerts.
- Sign up free at clawlaw.in. A free account is needed to run a status search.
- Search by party name or case number. You do not need to work out which of the eleven benches to open first.
- Add the matter to your calendar and get hearing and order alerts on WhatsApp and email.
The official AFT portal stays the source of record. Claw saves you the bench by bench checking.
08Where Claw fits
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
Claw’s AI based judgement search covers the Supreme Court and the 25 High Courts, with over 30 crore judgements and results in under 5 seconds. It is not the tool for AFT case law research. For AFT status and tracking, Claw’s case management covers 9,102 courts, benches and forums, which includes AFT benches. A firm or legal team handling defence service matters can keep one calendar across benches, get automatic case updates, and let the AI auto-compliance feature read an uploaded AFT order and schedule the follow up reminders.
For AFT judgement research and citation work, the tribunal portals and general legal research databases remain the main sources.
09Frequently asked questions
How do I check AFT case status by OA number?
Open the Case Status page on aftdelhi.nic.in or the bench site, choose case type OA, and enter the number and year. Confirm the bench, since the same OA number and year can exist at more than one bench.
Can I check AFT case status by diary number?
Yes. The diary number is given when the application is lodged at the registry, before the OA number is assigned. Enter the diary number and year in the diary number option on the official portal. Keep both numbers once the case is registered.
Can I check AFT case status by party name?
Yes. The official portal has a title (petitioner/respondent) search. Try both party fields and spelling variants, since rank and name are not always entered the same way. In Claw, a free account lets you search AFT by party name across every bench.
Can I check AFT case status by case number?
Yes. Enter the case type (OA, TA, MA or RA), the number and the year. The number has no bench code, so also select the right bench. In Claw, you can search by case number across every bench after signing up free.
Which is the official portal for AFT case status?
The Principal Bench case status is at aftdelhi.nic.in, and the central site also has aft.gov.in/case-status. Some regional benches, such as Kolkata, run their own sites. The government services portal also links to the AFT status service.
Is checking AFT case status free?
Checking on the official AFT portals is free. In Claw, you create a free account first, then search AFT by party name or case number across every bench, with hearing and order alerts.
How often is AFT case status updated?
It depends on the bench registry. Status and next dates are usually updated after each hearing, and cause lists appear the evening before. Orders can be uploaded later, so ask the registry for a certified copy if you need it urgently.
How many AFT benches are there?
Eleven: the Principal Bench in New Delhi and ten Regional Benches at Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Guwahati, Chennai, Kochi, Mumbai, Jabalpur, Jaipur and Jammu, which also serves Srinagar. Chandigarh and Lucknow have three courts each.