Supreme Court Case Status: How to Check Online by Diary Number, Case Number or Party Name (2026)
A simple guide to checking a Supreme Court of India case status online, by diary number, case number, party name or advocate, and how to read every status word you will see.
How-To · Supreme Court Case Status
Supreme Court case status is checked on the Supreme Court of India website (sci.gov.in), under its case status and case information pages. For SCI case status, choose diary number, case number, party name or advocate, enter the details and captcha, then open the record. The eCourts portal also lists Supreme Court matters.
- Official source: the Case Status section of the Supreme Court of India website.
- Search by: diary number, case number, party name, advocate name or Advocate-on-Record.
- Diary vs case number: the diary number comes at filing, the case number comes at registration.
- To keep watching: create a free Claw account and track by party name or number with hearing and order alerts.
01How to check Supreme Court case status online
You have a Supreme Court matter and you need to know where it stands. Is it listed tomorrow? Has it been registered? Was an order passed? The answer sits on the official portal, but many people get stuck on one basic thing: which number to search with. This guide covers the Supreme Court case status check (also called SCI case status) in 6 steps. The page layout can change, so the labels below describe the usual flow. Always follow what the live page shows. A second official route is the eCourts services portal, which also lists Supreme Court matters.
- Open the official website. Go to sci.gov.in and find the Case Status option in the menu.
- Choose how you want to search. The portal lets you search by diary number, case number, party name, advocate name or Advocate-on-Record. Pick the one you have details for.
- Fill in the details. For a diary number, enter the number and the year. For a case number, select the case type, then the number and the year. For a party name, type the name and choose the year or the pending/disposed option if shown.
- Enter the captcha. Type the characters shown and submit.
- Open the record. Click the matching entry. You will see the status, the bench, listing history and orders.
- Download orders if needed. Daily orders and judgments are available as PDF files from the same record.
Keep your numbers ready
Before you start, find your diary number or case number on the filing receipt, the notice, or the last order. Searching with the right number saves a lot of time.
02Supreme Court case status: search methods compared
Each method suits a different situation. Use the table to pick the right one.
| Method | What you enter | Best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diary number | Diary number and year | The matter is new or just filed, and you only have the filing receipt | Not the same as the case number |
| Case number | Case type, number and year | The matter is registered and has a regular number | Picking the wrong case type returns no result |
| Party name | Name of petitioner or respondent, and year | You do not have any number | Spelling differences and common names give many results |
| Advocate name | Name of the advocate | You want all matters of one advocate | Different spellings of the same name |
| CNR number | The 16-character CNR (Case Number Record) number | You have the CNR from a receipt or order and want a direct match | CNR search is mainly an eCourts feature, so check it is offered for your matter |
| Advocate-on-Record (AOR) | The AOR name or code | You want matters filed through one AOR | Only matters filed by that AOR appear |
For a quick supreme court case status check, the diary number or case number is fastest. If you know the number, use the number. If not, use the party name and narrow it by year.
03Diary number vs case number: what is the difference?
This is the most common point of confusion. Both numbers belong to the same matter, but they come at different stages.
- Diary number: given when a petition or appeal is first filed at the Registry. It identifies the filing. It exists even before the matter is registered.
- Case number: given after the Registry checks the filing and registers it. It has a case type (for example Civil Appeal or Special Leave Petition), a number and a year.
So a new filing first has only a diary number. If the filing has defects, it may stay without a case number until the defects are cured. Once registered, the matter has both numbers, and you can search with either. Keep the diary number safe, because it is the one that works from day one.
A diary number tells you the matter was filed. A case number tells you it was registered.
04Status words explained
The status page uses short words that are easy to misread. Here is what the common ones mean in plain English.
| Status word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pending | The matter is still before the Court and has not been finally decided. |
| Disposed | The matter has been finally decided or closed. You can usually download the final order or judgment. |
| Registered | The Registry has accepted the filing and given it a case number. |
| Defective | The Registry found defects in the filing. They must be cured before the matter is registered or listed. |
| Listed | The matter has been placed on a cause list for a hearing date. |
| For orders | The matter is listed only for the Court to pass an order, such as on an application, not for a full hearing. |
If the page shows a word not listed here, read the latest order on the record. The order text explains what happened and what comes next.
05Common problems when checking status
No result found
Check the year and the case type first. A diary number and a case number are different, so make sure you used the right one in the right box. For a party name, try a shorter spelling.
The status is not updated
Orders can take time to appear after a hearing. Check again later in the day or the next working day.
Too many results for a party name
Common names return long lists. Add the year, or switch to the diary number or case number.
The website is slow or down
Heavy use around listing time can slow the portal. Try again at a quieter time.
For the wider picture of watching many matters at once, see our guide to running one registry workflow across courts.
06Tracking a Supreme Court matter without checking every day
Checking the portal once is easy. Checking it every week for ten matters is not. Missing a listing date or a new order can cost a client dearly.
That is why many advocates and legal teams move from one-time lookups to tracking. Tracking tools watch the matter for you and send an alert when the listing or the order changes. To compare your options, read our guide to Supreme Court case tracking software in India.
When you track many matters across courts, it also helps to know how court counts are reconciled. See how court and judgment counts in India reconcile for that background.
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.
For Supreme Court matters, Claw lets you track a case by party name or number, with hearing and order alerts. Claw covers 9,102 courts, benches and forums, including the Supreme Court. Its search spans 30 crore+ judgments, with Supreme Court judgments from 1950, and results come in under 5 seconds.
Create a FREE Claw account and track Supreme Court matters by party name or number, with hearing and order alerts. A free account is needed to use status search. Claw has a free plan for individual advocates. Paid plans exist for teams.
08Sources and further reading
- Supreme Court of India (official website and case status): sci.gov.in
- Claw: clawlaw.in
Portal labels and layouts can change. Always rely on the live official page. Last verified October 2026.
09Frequently asked questions
How do I check Supreme Court case status online?
Open the Case Status section of the official Supreme Court of India website, choose a search method such as diary number or case number, enter the details and the captcha, and open the record. You can also track the matter in Claw by party name or number with hearing and order alerts, using a free account.
What is SCI case status and where do I see it?
SCI case status means the current stage of a matter before the Supreme Court of India: pending, disposed, listed, defective and so on. You see it in the case status pages of the official Supreme Court website, and the eCourts portal also lists Supreme Court matters.
Can I check Supreme Court case status by party name?
Yes. The official portal supports party name search, and Claw lets you track a Supreme Court matter by party name or number. Add the year to narrow common names.
What is the difference between diary number and case number?
The diary number is given when the petition is filed. The case number is given after the Registry registers it. A new filing has only a diary number at first.
What does "for orders" mean in case status?
It usually means the matter is listed for the Court to pass an order, for example on an application, rather than for a full hearing. Read the latest order on the record for details.
Why does my case show defective?
Defective means the Registry found defects in the filing. They must be cured before the matter is registered or listed.
Do I need an account to track a Supreme Court case in Claw?
Yes. Status search in Claw needs a free account. Individual advocates have a free plan, and paid plans are available for teams.