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Court case status check eCourts CNR
Check any district or high court case status free on eCourts with the 16-character CNR number. You can also search by party name or case number. Supreme Court files sit on sci.gov.in, not on the district search. Status is already public. RTI does not make a judge list you next week.
On this page
eCourts flow
① Open ecourts.gov.in → ② Pick District Court Services or High Court Services → ③ Search by CNR, or by case number, or by party name → ④ Read stage, next hearing and uploaded orders → ⑤ For the Supreme Court, use sci.gov.in Case Status instead
CNR versus party name versus case number
CNR stands for Case Number Record. It is a 16-character code unique across the eCourts system. It stays with the case even if the file moves. Enter it with no hyphen and no space. The first characters point to the state, district and court establishment. Your advocate, the filing receipt, a summons, or the top of an order usually prints it.
Which search you use depends on what you have in hand.
| Method | What you type | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| CNR | Full 16-character code, no space | You have an order, summons or receipt |
| Case number | Case type, number, year, plus the court | You know the court complex and year |
| Party name | A few letters of petitioner or respondent | You lost both numbers |
District and taluka courts use services.ecourts.gov.in (eCourts Services). High courts use the same family, or hcservices.ecourts.gov.in. The hub is ecourts.gov.in. The Supreme Court of India is not that search. It has its own Case Status on sci.gov.in.
You can also search on eCourts by filing number, advocate name, or FIR number (police cases, with police station). Those are fallbacks. CNR is the cleanest key.
The National Judicial Data Grid at njdg.ecourts.gov.in shows pendency statistics. It is not a substitute for your individual case page.
How to check court case status
Step 1 - Open eCourts, not a paid lookup site
Go to ecourts.gov.in and choose District Court Services or High Court Services. You do not log in to read status. The free eCourts Services app on Android and iOS does the same job. You can also SMS `ECOURTS <CNR>` to 9766899899, as printed on the official eCourts site.
Step 2 - Search by CNR if you have it
Paste the 16-character CNR with no space. Search. Open the case. Note next hearing, last order, and case stage. Download orders the court has uploaded. Screenshot the header with the CNR.
Step 3 - Or search by case number
Open Case Status. Pick state, district and court complex. Enter case type, number and year. If the court name is wrong, the case will not appear. Try the neighbouring complex only if you know the file moved.
Step 4 - Or search by party name
Enter at least a few letters of a party. Add year and, where asked, case stage. Pick your row from the list. Same-name hits are common. Match the other party, the year, and the court before you trust the row.
Step 5 - Read the page, then stop refreshing every hour
The portal is a copy of what the court staff uploaded. A hearing that ended this morning may not show tonight. A very new filing can take a few days. Old paper files may never be complete online. If CNR fails, try party name. If both fail, ask the filing counter for the CNR. Do not pay a Telegram “case tracker”.
What the status on eCourts usually means
Labels are the court's own words. They describe stage, not who will win.
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Pending | The case is still on the board |
| Disposed | The court has finished this matter |
| Next hearing date | The date it is listed next, if uploaded |
| Case stage | A process label such as appearance, evidence, arguments, or orders |
| Judgment reserved | The court has heard the matter and not yet pronounced |
| Last order | The newest uploaded order, often a PDF |
| Unready / adjourned | It was not taken up as planned; read the order if any |
“Pending” for years is not a glitch. Indian dockets are long. eCourts will not explain delay in a sentence. The history tab shows past dates. It does not show the full paper book, the evidence, or the pleadings. Those stay in the court file. Certified copies follow court rules, not the status page.
Supreme Court is a separate portal
Do not paste an SLP number into district eCourts and conclude the case “does not exist”. Open sci.gov.in and use Case Status. The live menus include diary number, case number, CNR, AOR code, party name, and court. Diary number is the first identity after e-filing. A case number appears after registration. Daily orders, judgments and cause lists are on the same Supreme Court site.
High courts sometimes keep a second site besides High Court Services. If eCourts is empty, try that High Court's own page, then go back to CNR once you have it. Virtual courts and e-pay are different eCourts products. They do not replace Case Status.
RTI for records not to speed the bench
Case status, cause lists and uploaded orders are already public. You do not need RTI to “check if my case is pending”. An RTI will not make a judge hear you next week. Listing is a judicial function. The PIO is not the bench.
Use RTI for administrative records that are not on the screen: whether a paper reached the registry, certified-copy application delay, file-movement in the copying section, or a diary number that never converted. File under RTI Act 2005 s.6(1) to the PIO of that court registry or the relevant public authority. Reply is due in 30 days under s.7(1). First appeal is s.19(1). Many courts still tell you to use the certified-copy rules for the case papers themselves. Follow that window when it applies. Do not treat RTI as a second appeal on the merits.
Police-linked FIRs and verification files are a different track. See how to apply for police verification. Land fights that started as mutation sit on how to apply for property mutation. Identity mismatch at filing is often an Aadhaar problem, not an eCourts problem. If a summons arrives on WhatsApp demanding money, read the fake court summons scam guide and the citizen crisis response network before you pay anyone.
Draft a records request with the AI RTI Drafter. If the PIO is silent after 30 days, use the First Appeal Builder. Method is in The RTI Playbook. More how-tos sit on how to apply guides. Other trackers sit on status check guides.
Sample RTI for registry records
Use this only when you want a paper trail, not a faster date. Five points. Address the PIO of that court / district court administration.
- 1. Whether civil / criminal case [TYPE NUMBER / YEAR] or CNR [CODE] is pending or disposed, as recorded in the register on the date of this reply.
- 2. Date of last hearing and next date of listing, as recorded, and the name of the court / board.
- 3. Status of certified-copy application [NUMBER] dated [DATE], with the official holding it and from which date.
- 4. Copy of the inward / movement register for that application or for the paper filed on [DATE].
- 5. If a paper is treated as defective: copy of the defect memo. Do not ask the PIO to list the case or reverse an order.
Safety warnings
- eCourts, High Court Services, sci.gov.in and the eCourts app are free. Nobody can “check” or “settle” your case for a fee on the phone.
- Fake summons on WhatsApp or email that demand UPI or a video call are not court process.
- Use only ecourts.gov.in and sci.gov.in hosts. Paid “CNR lookup” clones are not the eCommittee.
- Never share OTP from a random case app. The public status page does not need your bank OTP.
Illustrative stall (not a named person). A CNR search shows “pending” with a next date two months away. That is a listing fact, not a broken website. Screenshot eCourts, ask your advocate or the filing counter about the board, and use RTI only if a certified copy or a registry inward is what is actually stuck.
Frequently asked questions
Is checking court case status on eCourts free?
Yes. District and high court status on eCourts, Supreme Court Case Status on sci.gov.in, the eCourts app, and the official CNR SMS are free. You do not log in to read status. Anyone who charges to “check CNR” is running a paid clone or a scam.
Where do I find my CNR number?
The filing receipt, a court order, a summons, or your advocate's file usually has it. If you lack it, search eCourts by case number or party name. Once the case opens, the CNR is at the top of the details page. Type all 16 characters with no space.
How do I search eCourts by party name if I lost the case number?
Open Case Status, select the correct state and court complex, enter a few letters of a party, and add the year if you know it. Match the other party and the case type before you tap. Same names repeat. CNR remains the more reliable key once you have it.
Which portal do I use for Supreme Court case status?
Use sci.gov.in Case Status. Search by diary number, case number, CNR, AOR, party name or court. District eCourts will not show an SLP just because you type the party. High courts: eCourts High Court Services or that High Court's own site.
Why can I not find my case online?
Common causes: a typing error in the CNR, the wrong district or complex, a filing so new it is not uploaded, or an old paper case that was never fully digitised. Try party name and case number. Then ask the filing counter. NJDG statistics will not list your file.
What does pending or judgment reserved mean on eCourts?
Pending means the court has not disposed of the matter. Judgment reserved means it has been heard and the order is awaited. Neither label is a result. Read the last uploaded order. eCourts will not predict the next adjournment.
Can RTI speed up my pending court case?
No. RTI Act 2005 s.6(1) gets recorded information from a public authority. It does not command a judge to hear you. Use eCourts for status. Use RTI for administrative records such as a stuck certified-copy request. Asking the PIO to “list my case” is the wrong tool.
Is the eCourts SMS and app official?
The eCourts site publishes SMS to 9766899899 in the form ECOURTS space CNR. The eCourts Services app is the official mobile client. Download it from the store link that eCourts shows. Do not type CNR on a look-alike APK.
Related on RTI Wiki
Official sources
- eCourts hub - ecourts.gov.in
- District Court Services - services.ecourts.gov.in
- High Court Services - hcservices.ecourts.gov.in
- Supreme Court of India - sci.gov.in (Case Status, daily orders, judgments)
- National Judicial Data Grid - njdg.ecourts.gov.in
- RTI Act, 2005 - s.6(1), s.7(1), s.19(1)
Reviewed for RTI Wiki by Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak.