How to Check Court Case Status by Case Number or Filing Number in India (2026)

How-to · Case Status

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

You have a case number on a notice or an old order, and you need to know where the case stands today. The problem is that India has many kinds of numbers, and a search fails if you enter the wrong one or pick the wrong case type. To check a case by its number, you need the case type, the number and the year, or the CNR. This guide explains the difference between the numbers, gives the exact steps on eCourts, and shows which number each forum uses. Last verified 6 October 2026.

01Why number searches fail

A case number search fails most often because the number is incomplete, not because the case is missing. A court number is never just digits. It is a case type, a running number and a year, read together.

The same digits mean different things

Case number 245 of 2024 can exist as a civil suit, a criminal complaint and a writ petition in the same court. If you pick the wrong case type, the portal shows no record, and it looks as if the case does not exist.

Courts use more than one number

A case gets a filing number when papers are first lodged. It gets a registration (case) number only after the registry accepts it. Orders, cause lists and notices usually carry the registration number, but the receipt in your hand may show only the filing number.

Every forum has its own system

District courts and High Courts share the eCourts network, but tribunals run their own portals with their own formats. One number format does not work everywhere.

To check a case by number, you need three things together: the case type, the number and the year. Without all three, use the CNR instead.

02Case number, filing number and CNR

These three numbers identify the same case at different points, and each one works in a different search box.

• Filing number: given when the plaint, petition or complaint is first presented. It exists even if the case is later returned for defects.
• Registration or case number: given when the registry accepts the filing. It is written as case type, number and year, for example a civil suit numbered 245 of 2024.
• CNR (Case Number Record): a 16 character alphanumeric ID, two letters for the state followed by digits. It stays with the case for life and is unique across the eCourts network.

The CNR is the simplest key, because it needs no case type and no court selection. If you can find it on an old order or a previous search result, use it. Our guide on what a CNR number is explains how it is built, and the page on finding a case by CNR number gives the steps for that route.

If you have no number at all, only names, use the party name route instead. See how to check case status by party name and how to search court cases by party name.

03Steps to check status by case number on eCourts

For district and subordinate courts, the free eCourts Services portal lets you search by case number in a few steps.

1. Read your number correctly. Write down the case type, the number and the year from the notice or order. Check whether it is a filing number or a registration number.
2. Open the portal. Go to services.ecourts.gov.in and choose Case Status.
3. Pick the Case Number tab. The portal also offers Filing Number, Party Name, Advocate Name, FIR Number and Act, so choose Case Number if you have a registration number, or Filing Number if you only have the receipt.
4. Select the court. Choose the state, district and court complex. Then choose the specific court establishment if the complex has more than one.
5. Choose the case type. Use the drop-down list. Match it to the heading on your document, not a guess.
6. Enter number and year. Type the case number, the four-digit year, and the captcha. Press Go.
7. Open the result. Click View on the matching row. You will see the parties, the stage, the next hearing date, the orders and the CNR.

For a High Court, the steps are almost the same on the High Court Services portal. Select the High Court and bench first, then Case Status, then Case Number or Filing Number. For a wider walk-through of the portal, see how to check case status on eCourts.

04Which number each forum uses, and where to enter it

Use this table to match your document to the right portal and the right search box.

Two simple rules follow from the table. First, a CNR works wherever the case is on the eCourts network. Second, a tribunal number almost never works on eCourts, so go to the tribunal portal.

05Tribunals and High Courts: what changes

Tribunals and High Courts follow the same idea, a type, a number and a year, but the labels differ.

High Courts

High Courts use case types with their own short codes, such as writ petitions, appeals and criminal petitions. A case may also carry a stamp or filing number before it is numbered. If a number search fails, try the Filing Number tab.

Tribunals

Tribunals are outside the eCourts district network. Each one has its own portal, and some ask for a diary number or an application number instead of a case number. Read the notice you received, because it normally names the exact number to use.

District courts

The district network is large. If you are checking many district cases, see our guide to district court case tracking software and the page on district court coverage.

06Common errors and fixes

Most failed searches come down to a small set of mistakes, and each has a simple fix.

• No record found: check the case type first, then the year. A wrong type is the most common cause.
• Filing number used as case number: switch to the Filing Number tab.
• Wrong court complex: a case filed in a different complex or establishment will not show. Try the other courts in the same district.
• Old case: very old or unregistered cases may not be on the portal. Ask the court registry.
• Captcha errors: reload the captcha and enter it again.

If you still get nothing, find the CNR from an earlier order, or search by party name. You can also read what each status means in our guide on reading a pending or disposed status.

07Where 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.

The manual route above works well for one case in one forum. It gets slow when your cases sit in different courts and tribunals, because each needs its own portal and its own number format. Claw covers 9,102 forums, and a case number search returns in under 5 seconds. You can Create a FREE Claw account and search by case number across every covered forum. A free account is required. The free plan is for individual advocates, and teams and enterprises are on paid plans.

If you work with case data inside your own systems, Claw also offers an API, and our page on the litigation monitoring API explains the workflow.

08Sources and further reading

• eCourts Services (district courts): services.ecourts.gov.in
• High Court Services: hcservices.ecourts.gov.in
• Claw: clawlaw.in

Portal layouts change from time to time. Last verified 6 October 2026.

09Frequently asked questions