The complete Indian court case status reference
When you search for a case on eCourtsIndia.com or the National Judicial Data Grid, you see a status field that tells you where the case stands: pending, admitted, arguments, disposed, withdrawn, and so on. There are 71 such status codes in the Indian judicial system, classified into three groups: 41 active or pending, 23 disposed or final, and 5 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 stayed or defective). Each code represents a distinct procedural stage. Search any Indian case by status on ecourtsindia.com/search.
Active and Pending Statuses (41 codes)
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 |
| 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 |
| 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 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 |
| SUMMONS_ISSUED | Summons issued | Accused or respondent summoned to court |
Disposed and Final Statuses (23 codes)
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 (5 codes)
| Status Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| LOK_ADALAT | People’s Court settlement under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 |
| MEDIATION | Referred to mediation or conciliation |
| STAYED | Proceedings stayed by order of higher court or by the same court |
| 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. Examples:
- All pending cases: ecourtsindia.com/search?caseStatuses=PENDING
- All disposed cases: ecourtsindia.com/search?caseStatuses=DISPOSED
- Active litigation stages: ecourtsindia.com/search?caseStatuses=PENDING,ADMITTED,ARGUMENTS
- Bail granted cases: ecourtsindia.com/search?caseStatuses=BAIL_GRANTED
- ADR settled cases: ecourtsindia.com/search?caseStatuses=LOK_ADALAT,MEDIATION
FAQs
What does pending mean in a court case?
Pending means the case is alive in court and awaiting the next procedural step or judicial decision. It does not mean inactive; several pending statuses indicate active progression like evidence, arguments, or framing of issues.
What is the difference between dismissed and disposed?
Disposed is a generic final status that includes all modes of ending a case. Dismissed specifically means the court has rejected the case, either on merits or on procedural grounds.
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 closed?
No. A stayed case is paused, not closed. The proceedings cannot continue until the stay is vacated. The case stays in the pending category until it is disposed.
Can I search all 71 statuses at once?
Technically yes, by passing all codes to the caseStatuses parameter on ecourtsindia.com/search. But this is equivalent to not filtering at all.