The complete Indian court case status reference
eCourtsIndia normalizes Indian court case statuses into 71 standard codes, grouped into active or pending, disposed or final, and special or ADR statuses. Each code marks a precise procedural stage, from first filing to final judgment. This dictionary defines every status and shows how to filter cases by status on eCourtsIndia.
When you search for a case on eCourtsIndia.com or look it up on the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG, the Government of India’s portal that publishes pending and disposed case data), you see a status field that tells you where the case stands: pending, admitted, arguments, disposed, withdrawn, and so on. eCourtsIndia maps these stages to 71 standard codes, classified into three groups: active or pending, disposed or final, and special or ADR statuses.
This dictionary defines each status, explains what it means for your case, and tells you what to do next. Bookmark it for future reference.
Quick Answer
Indian court case statuses fall into three groups: Active / Pending (case is alive in court), Disposed / Final (case has ended one way or another), and Special / ADR (settled through alternative dispute resolution or in a special state like defective). Each code represents a distinct procedural stage. Search any Indian case by status on ecourtsindia.com/search using the cs= parameter.
Active and Pending Statuses
These statuses indicate the case is alive in court and proceedings are ongoing.
| Status Code | Meaning | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| PENDING | Case is pending | Default status; case is in the system awaiting next action |
| ADMITTED | Case admitted to court | The court has accepted the case for hearing |
| ARGUMENTS | Oral arguments in progress | Counsel are making final arguments; judgment likely next |
| PART_HEARD | Case partially heard | Arguments are in progress but incomplete; case continues before same judge |
| HEARING | Hearing scheduled or ongoing | Normal listed hearing; attendance expected |
| EVIDENCE | Evidence stage | Witnesses are being examined; trial in progress |
| TRIAL | Trial in progress | Full trial on merits underway |
| FIRST_HEARING | First hearing scheduled or completed | The initial appearance of parties; preliminary directions given |
| APPEARANCE | Appearance | Matter listed for appearance or filing of appearance by the parties. |
| NOTICE_ISSUED | Notice issued to parties | Court has directed service of notice on opposite parties |
| FOR_ADMISSION | Pending for admission | Case awaiting the court’s decision on whether to admit |
| FOR_JUDGMENT | Pending for judgment | Arguments closed; judgment reserved |
| RESERVED | Reserved | Judgment or order reserved after conclusion of hearing; awaiting pronouncement. |
| FOR_ORDERS | Pending for orders | Awaiting a procedural order from the court |
| FOR_STEPS | Pending for next steps | Party is required to take some procedural step (for example file documents) |
| REGISTERED | Case registered with court | Case has been entered in the court register |
| LISTED | Case listed for hearing | Scheduled on a cause list for a specific date |
| MENTIONED | Case mentioned in court | Matter informally brought to court’s attention |
| FILED | Case filed | Plaint or petition has been filed but not yet registered |
| READY_FOR_REGISTRATION | Ready for registration | Case has cleared filing scrutiny and is queued for registration |
| ADJOURNED | Case adjourned | Hearing postponed to a future date |
| COMPLIANCE_PENDING | Compliance of orders pending | Party required to comply with a prior order |
| CONTEMPT_PENDING | Contempt proceedings pending | Contempt case initiated and being heard |
| CURATIVE_PENDING | Curative petition pending | Last-stage post-review remedy in the Supreme Court is pending |
| EXECUTION_PENDING | Execution of order pending | Decree awaiting enforcement |
| LPA_PENDING | Letters Patent Appeal pending | Intra-court appeal from Single Bench to Division Bench |
| MAINTENANCE_PENDING | Maintenance case pending | Section 125 CrPC / Section 144 BNSS or Family Court maintenance application pending |
| PIL_PENDING | Public Interest Litigation pending | PIL admitted and under hearing |
| REVIEW_PENDING | Review petition pending | Review of earlier order or judgment pending |
| SERVICE_PENDING | Service of documents pending | Notice or summons not yet served on opposite party |
| PENDING_AFTER_NOTICE | Pending after notice issued | Case in post-notice limbo awaiting reply |
| PENDING_BEFORE_NOTICE | Pending before notice issued | Fresh filing awaiting first judicial order |
| INTERIM_ORDER_PASSED | Interim order passed | Court has granted temporary relief pending final decision |
| FRAMING_OF_ISSUES | Issues being framed | Court is identifying the disputed points for trial |
| PLAINTIFF_EVIDENCE | Plaintiff evidence stage | Plaintiff leading witnesses |
| DEFENCE_EVIDENCE | Defence evidence stage | Defendant or accused leading witnesses |
| PROSECUTION_EVIDENCE | Prosecution evidence stage | Public prosecutor leading witnesses in criminal trial |
| CROSS_EXAMINATION | Cross-examination in progress | Opposing counsel testing a witness |
| COUNTER_AFFIDAVIT_FILED | Counter affidavit filed | Respondent has filed reply |
| REJOINDER_FILED | Rejoinder filed | Petitioner has replied to respondent’s reply |
| WRITTEN_STATEMENT_FILED | Written statement filed | Defendant has filed WS in a civil suit |
| CHARGE_FRAMED | Charge framed | Criminal charge framed under Section 228 CrPC / Section 251 BNSS |
| SUMMONS_ISSUED | Summons issued | Accused or respondent summoned to court |
| STAYED | Proceedings stayed by order of higher court or by the same court | Case is paused but remains pending until the stay is vacated |
Disposed and Final Statuses
These statuses mean the case has ended. Remedies like appeal, review, or execution may still be available.
| Status Code | Meaning | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| DISPOSED | Case disposed | Generic final status; case removed from pending list |
| DISMISSED | Case dismissed | Court rejected the case on merits or procedure |
| ALLOWED | Petition allowed | Court granted the relief sought |
| PARTLY_ALLOWED | Petition partly allowed | Court granted some but not all reliefs |
| DECREED | Decree passed | Civil suit ended with a decree in favour of plaintiff |
| WITHDRAWN | Case withdrawn | Plaintiff or petitioner withdrew the case |
| COMPROMISE | Case settled by compromise | Parties settled; court recorded the settlement |
| TRANSFERRED | Case transferred to another court | Case moved to a different court for hearing |
| REMANDED | Case remanded to lower court | Appellate court sent case back for fresh decision |
| CLOSED | Case closed | Case administratively closed |
| DISMISSED_AS_WITHDRAWN | Dismissed as withdrawn | Formally dismissed because petitioner withdrew |
| DISMISSED_IN_DEFAULT | Dismissed in default | Petitioner absent when case was called |
| DISMISSED_NO_COSTS | Dismissed without costs | Dismissal without order on costs |
| ALLOWED_NO_COSTS | Allowed without costs | Relief granted but no costs awarded |
| NOT_ADMITTED | Not admitted | Case not taken up on merits |
| REJECTED | Petition rejected | Plaint or petition rejected at threshold |
| INFRUCTUOUS | Case infructuous | No live issue remains; case has become irrelevant |
| ABATED | Case abated | Case ended due to death of party and no substitution |
| JUDGMENT | Judgment delivered | Court has delivered the final verdict |
| RULE_ABSOLUTE | Rule absolute | Interim rule made final |
| RULE_DISCHARGED | Rule discharged | Interim rule not made final |
| BAIL_GRANTED | Bail granted | Accused released on bail |
| BAIL_REJECTED | Bail rejected | Bail application refused |
Special and ADR Statuses
| Status Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| LOK_ADALAT | People’s Court settlement under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 |
| MEDIATION | Referred to mediation or conciliation |
| DEFECTIVE | Case defective; filing requirements not met |
| UNKNOWN | Status could not be ascertained |
How to use these statuses on eCourtsIndia.com
You can filter any case search on eCourtsIndia by one or more of these codes using the cs= parameter. Multiple codes can be comma-separated in a single parameter. Examples:
- All pending cases: ecourtsindia.com/search?cs=PENDING
- All disposed cases: ecourtsindia.com/search?cs=DISPOSED
- Active litigation stages: ecourtsindia.com/search?cs=PENDING,ADMITTED,ARGUMENTS
- Bail granted cases: ecourtsindia.com/search?cs=BAIL_GRANTED
- ADR settled cases: ecourtsindia.com/search?cs=LOK_ADALAT,MEDIATION
This list is a snapshot of eCourtsIndia’s normalized status taxonomy, which is updated as court and tribunal coverage expands. For the authoritative, always-current set of status codes (alongside case types, court codes and benches), see the API enums documentation, or fetch them programmatically with GET https://webapi.ecourtsindia.com/api/partner/enums.
Related reading
Frequently Asked Questions
How many case status codes are there in Indian courts?
eCourtsIndia normalizes Indian court case statuses into 71 standard codes, grouped into active or pending, disposed or final, and special or ADR statuses. Each one marks a distinct procedural stage, from filing to final judgment. You can filter cases by any code using the cs= parameter on eCourtsIndia search.
What does pending mean in a court case?
Pending means the case is alive in court and awaiting its next procedural step or judicial decision. It does not mean inactive, since stages like evidence, arguments and framing of issues are all pending statuses. Look up any pending matter on eCourtsIndia.
What is the difference between dismissed and disposed?
Disposed is a generic final status covering every way a case can end. Dismissed specifically means the court rejected the case on merits or on procedural grounds. Both move a matter off the pending list. Search disposed cases on eCourtsIndia to compare outcomes.
What does infructuous mean?
An infructuous case is one where the underlying grievance has become meaningless. For example, a challenge to a government notification becomes infructuous if the notification is withdrawn before the case is decided.
Is a stayed case the same as a closed case?
No. A stayed case is paused by court order, not closed. Proceedings cannot continue until the stay is vacated, and the case stays in the pending category until disposed. For related codes see our CNR Number guide and check status on eCourtsIndia.
How do I filter cases by status on eCourtsIndia?
Use the cs= parameter in any search URL and pass one or more status codes, comma separated. For example, cs=PENDING,ADMITTED,ARGUMENTS returns active litigation stages. This works across district courts, High Courts and tribunals. Start filtering on eCourtsIndia search.
Can I search all 71 statuses at once?
Technically yes, by passing all codes to the cs= parameter on ecourtsindia.com/search. But this is equivalent to not filtering at all.