File and Track a SEBI SCORES Complaint in 2026

For the full legal background on investor rights and grievance law, see SEBI SCORES and SMART ODR - full investor grievance guide and mutual fund and demat grievance guide.

SCORES stands for SEBI Complaint Redressal System. SEBI launched SCORES 2.0 on 1 April 2024, replacing the older portal. It is an online platform at scores.sebi.gov.in where any investor can lodge a grievance against a SEBI-regulated entity - a stock broker, depository participant, mutual fund, listed company, portfolio manager, or any registered intermediary. The 2.0 upgrade cut the resolution deadline from 30 calendar days to 21, introduced auto-routing of complaints to the correct entity, and added two levels of review if the initial response is unsatisfactory.

You must first raise a complaint with the intermediary itself. Only if the response is delayed, incomplete, or unsatisfactory should you escalate to SCORES.

1. Go to https://scores.sebi.gov.in and click Sign in / Sign up.
2. Choose Register under “Don't have an account?”
3. Enter your PAN number and date of birth, then click Validate PAN.
4. The portal fetches your KYC details from the KYC Registration Agency (KRA) database. Your registered mobile number appears in masked form.
5. Verify using the OTP sent to that mobile number.
6. Complete the registration form with your name, address, and email ID if not pre-filled from KRA.

Registration is tied to your KYC-linked mobile number. If your mobile number is not updated in KRA records, update it with your broker or depository participant first.

1. After logging in, click File a Complaint.
2. Select the complaint category appropriate to your grievance - for example, a complaint against a broker, depository participant, mutual fund, or listed company.
3. Select the nature of complaint and then search for and select the name of the regulated entity against which you are complaining.
4. Write a clear description of the grievance: what happened, on what date, what amount is involved, and what response the entity gave at the first level.
5. Upload supporting documents (contract notes, account statements, email correspondence, screenshots). Accepted formats are JPG, JPEG, and PDF. You can upload up to 10 files with a combined maximum size of 20 MB.
6. Submit. The portal generates a unique complaint registration number. Save this number.

Important: complaints must be lodged within one year from the date the cause of action arose. Complaints filed after this period may be rejected by SEBI.

SCORES does not accept grievances sent by email. All complaints must be submitted through the portal or the SCORES mobile app (available on Android and iOS).

Once your complaint is registered, the regulated entity has 21 calendar days to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) to you through SCORES. The system sends automated reminders to the entity on day 10 and day 15.

If the entity misses the 21-day deadline, the complaint is automatically escalated to the relevant Designated Body (a stock exchange or other market infrastructure institution) for first-level review. You do not need to do anything to trigger this.

Track the status at any time by logging in with your complaint registration number.

If the entity submits an ATR within 21 days but you are not satisfied with the response, you must actively request a first-level review:

1. Log in to SCORES and open your complaint.
2. Click Seek Review within 15 calendar days of receiving the entity's ATR.
3. The Designated Body (the stock exchange or market infrastructure institution assigned to monitor that regulated entity) takes up the review with the entity and submits a revised ATR within 10 calendar days.
4. The Designated Body receives an automated reminder on day 5.

If the Designated Body itself fails to submit its response within 10 calendar days, the complaint is automatically escalated to SEBI for second-level review.

If you are still dissatisfied after the Designated Body's first-level review, request a second-level review within 15 calendar days of receiving the Designated Body's ATR.

SEBI then reviews the complaint directly. There is no fixed statutory deadline on SEBI's side for completing second-level review, but the matter is now escalated to the regulator.

Under Section 15C of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992, any listed company or intermediary that fails to redress investor grievances after being directed to do so by SEBI faces a financial penalty.

If the SCORES process has not resolved your dispute, or if the regulated entity itself has failed to resolve your complaint, you may file a dispute on SMART ODR at smartodr.in. SMART ODR is built and operated jointly by seven Market Infrastructure Institutions: NSE, BSE, MSE, CDSL, NSDL, MCX, and NCDEX.

Key rules when moving to SMART ODR:

• If you file on SMART ODR while a SCORES complaint is still pending, the SCORES complaint is treated as disposed. You cannot re-file the same complaint on SCORES afterwards.
• If you have already escalated to SMART ODR, you cannot file the same complaint on SCORES subsequently.

The SMART ODR process moves through three stages: amicable resolution by the assigned MII, then conciliation if the first stage fails, and then online arbitration if conciliation does not resolve the dispute.

• Contract notes, account statements, and trade confirmations.
• Email or SMS correspondence with the intermediary, with dates.
• Screenshot of the app dashboard or portal status screen.
• Payment receipts, bank entries, and UPI reference numbers.
• The complaint registration number from the intermediary's own grievance system.
• A short written timeline of what happened and when.

No. SCORES is for service complaints and misconduct - for example, funds not returned, shares not transferred, or a demat charge levied without authorisation. A loss from a market price movement is not a complaint under SCORES. If you were misled by an unregistered advisor or a Telegram-channel tip, that is a separate complaint category (investment fraud) that SEBI also handles.

You cannot complete OTP verification during SCORES registration without the KRA-linked mobile number. Contact your broker or depository participant to update your mobile number in the KYC records before you file.

Yes. Filing on SMART ODR while a SCORES complaint is active causes the SCORES complaint to be treated as disposed. You cannot re-activate it. Only move to SMART ODR if you are confident the SCORES route has run its course or if you prefer the arbitration mechanism.

You must file your complaint on SCORES within one year from the date the cause of action arose - meaning the date of the event that caused your grievance. SEBI may reject complaints filed after this one-year window.

If the complaint has been escalated to SEBI (a public authority), you can file an RTI request to ask for the status of action taken on your complaint, the reasons recorded, and the officer handling it. Do not use RTI as a substitute for the SCORES review process where a statutory review route exists.

Yes. The SCORES mobile app is available on Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store). You can register, lodge complaints, track status, and request reviews through the app. SEBI also operates a helpline at 1800 266 7575 (toll-free, 9 AM to 6 PM, excluding holidays).

• SEBI SCORES and SMART ODR - full investor grievance guide
• Mutual fund and demat grievance via SEBI SCORES and SMART ODR
• Stock market Telegram tips scam India

For a practical walkthrough of using government portals and rights under public authorities, see The RTI Playbook.