Indian court and legal terms, explained

The words you meet on a case record, a cause list and a court order — each defined in a sentence or two, the way Indian courts use them. 52 terms, from adjournment to written statement.

Reviewed 2026-10-13. Explains vocabulary; not legal advice on your matter.

A

Adjournment: Postponement of a hearing to a later date. The case record shows the new date and, often, the reason — for example a party seeking time or the court not reaching the matter.
Admission: The stage at which a court decides whether a fresh appeal, writ or petition deserves a full hearing. A matter "admitted" goes on to be heard on merits; one not admitted is dismissed at the threshold.
Advocate-on-Record: An advocate who has passed the Supreme Court's qualifying examination and is entitled to file cases and act for parties in the Supreme Court of India. Only an Advocate-on-Record can file in the Supreme Court.
Affidavit: A written statement of facts sworn or affirmed before an authorised officer such as a notary or oath commissioner. Courts accept evidence and many applications on affidavit.
Anticipatory bail: A direction that a person be released on bail if arrested for a non-bailable offence they fear being accused of. Granted by a Sessions Court or High Court under Section 438 CrPC, now Section 482 of the BNSS.

B

Bail: Release of an accused person from custody on security or an undertaking to appear when required, while the case continues.
Bench: The judge or judges hearing a case. A single bench is one judge; a division bench is two; larger benches of three or more are constituted for important questions.
Business (daily business): The court's note of what happened in a case at a hearing — for example "arguments heard", "adjourned at the request of the respondent". It appears in the case history on eCourts.

C

Cause list: The court's published list of cases to be heard on a given day, court room by court room, in the order they will be called. Each entry carries an item number. Read the guide →
Caveat: A notice lodged by a person who expects a case or application to be filed against them, asking to be heard before any order is passed. Under Section 148A of the CPC a caveat stays in force for 90 days.
Certified copy: A copy of an order, judgment or document certified by the court's copying section as a true copy. It is needed for appeals and for most official uses.
CNR number: Case Number Record — a 16-character code that uniquely identifies every case in an eCourts-connected court in India, for example WBCS020034812025. Read the guide →
Condonation of delay: The court's acceptance of an appeal or application filed after the limitation period, on being shown sufficient cause for the delay (Section 5 of the Limitation Act, 1963).
Contempt of court: Wilful disobedience of a court's order (civil contempt) or conduct that scandalises or obstructs the administration of justice (criminal contempt). A contempt petition asks the court to act on it.
Coram: The judges who constitute the bench hearing a case, as named on the cause list or order.
Counter affidavit: The respondent's reply, on affidavit, to a writ petition or application. The petitioner may answer it with a rejoinder.
Curative petition: The last remedy in the Supreme Court against its own final judgment, available only after a review petition has been dismissed and on very narrow grounds.

D

Daily order: The short order recorded at a hearing — directions given, time granted, the next date. Distinct from the final order or judgment that decides the case.
Decree: The formal expression of a civil court's decision on the rights of the parties in a suit. It is enforced through an execution petition.
Display board: A screen, in the court building and usually online, showing the item number each court room is hearing at that moment. Read the guide →
Disposed: The court has passed its final order and the case is no longer pending. It does not by itself say who won. Read the guide →

E

E-filing: Filing cases and documents online through the eCourts e-filing portal or a court's own system instead of at the filing counter.
eCourts: The national programme, run under the Supreme Court's eCommittee, that computerises district and High Courts and publishes case status, cause lists and orders online.
Ex parte: A proceeding or order made in the absence of one party, usually because they did not appear after notice. An ex parte decree can be set aside on application if there was sufficient cause for the absence.
Execution petition: An application to enforce a decree or order — for example recovery of money or delivery of property — filed with the court that passed it or to which it is transferred.

F

FIR: First Information Report — the police record of information about a cognisable offence, registered under Section 154 CrPC, now Section 173 of the BNSS. A criminal case record shows the FIR number and police station.

I

Interim order: A temporary order passed while a case is pending, such as a stay or an injunction, to protect a party until the case is decided.
Interlocutory application (IA): An application filed in a pending case for an interim or procedural order — for example a stay, an amendment or an early hearing.
Item number: A case's position in a court room's cause list for the day. Courts call matters in item-number order.

J

Judgment: The court's reasoned decision on the questions in a case. In civil cases a decree is drawn up on the basis of the judgment.

L

Letters Patent Appeal (LPA): An appeal within a High Court, from a decision of a single judge to a division bench, available in High Courts whose Letters Patent or governing statute provide for it.
Limitation period: The time within which a suit, appeal or application must be filed, set mainly by the Limitation Act, 1963. Filing after it requires condonation of delay where the law allows.

M

Mentioning: An advocate's oral request to the court, usually at the start of the day, to list a matter urgently or out of turn.

N

Next hearing date: The date on which the case is listed to be taken up next. It can change if the court reschedules, so check it close to the day.
NJDG: National Judicial Data Grid — the national database of case data from courts on the eCourts network, used for statistics on pending and disposed cases.

P

Pending: The case is still before the court and has not been finally decided.
Petitioner / Respondent: The party who files a petition, writ or appeal, and the party against whom it is filed. In civil suits the equivalents are plaintiff and defendant.
Plaint: The written statement of claim with which a civil suit begins, setting out the facts and the relief sought (Order VII of the CPC).
Public interest litigation (PIL): A case filed in a High Court or the Supreme Court to protect the interests of the public or a group unable to approach the court, where the rules on who may file are relaxed.

R

Rejoinder: The petitioner's or plaintiff's reply to the other side's counter affidavit or written statement.
Reserved: Arguments are complete and the court will pronounce its judgment or order on a later date. The case record shows "reserved for orders" or "judgment reserved".
Review petition: A request to the same court to reconsider its own judgment, allowed only on limited grounds such as an error apparent on the face of the record.

S

Sine die: Adjourned without a fixed next date. The case is listed again on application by a party or on the court's own motion.
Special Leave Petition (SLP): A petition asking the Supreme Court for permission to appeal against a judgment or order of a High Court or tribunal, under Article 136 of the Constitution. If leave is granted, it becomes a civil or criminal appeal.
Stay: An order suspending the operation of another order, or the progress of a proceeding, until the court decides otherwise.
Summons: A court document requiring a person to appear, answer a claim or produce documents on a given date.
Supplementary cause list: An additional list of cases, published after the main cause list, for matters added late — urgent mentions or fresh filings.

T

Transfer petition: An application asking a higher court to move a case from one court to another, for example for convenience or to ensure a fair trial.

V

Vakalatnama: The written authority by which a party appoints an advocate to act and plead for them in a case, signed by the client and accepted by the advocate. Read the guide →

W

Warrant: A court order directing the police to arrest a person and bring them before the court, or to search a place.
Writ petition: A petition to a High Court under Article 226, or to the Supreme Court under Article 32, seeking a writ to enforce fundamental or legal rights against the state or a public authority.
Written statement: The defendant's reply to the plaint in a civil suit, admitting or denying each allegation (Order VIII of the CPC).

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