TL;DR: Indian case citations fall into three families: neutral citations assigned by the court itself (e.g., 2024 INSC 835 for the Supreme Court; 2023:DHC:2720 for the Delhi High Court), reporter citations published by official or private law-report series (AIR, SCC, SCR), and parallel citations that list the same judgment across multiple reporters. Always cite a specific paragraph for pinpoint references, not a headnote, and verify every citation number before filing.

On this page

Why citation format matters more than you think

A citation in a court filing or written submission is not a formality. It is a navigation instruction. It tells a judge, a clerk, or opposing counsel exactly where to find the passage of law you are relying on. A wrong volume number, a mistyped page, or a confused reporter abbreviation can send the reader to a different judgment entirely, or to no judgment at all.

India has historically had one of the world’s most fragmented citation environments. The same Supreme Court judgment can appear in the All India Reporter (AIR), in Supreme Court Cases (SCC), in the official Supreme Court Reports (SCR), in JT, in SCALE, and in several regional reporters, each with its own year, volume, and page assignment. More than 300 distinct reporter abbreviations have been in use at various times.

The Supreme Court’s neutral citation system, launched in July 2023, was designed precisely to solve this problem. But the older reporter-based formats are still current: they appear in briefs filed today, in older authorities you will cite from decades past, and in High Court orders that predate neutral citation adoption. A practitioner who knows only one family of citations is incompletely equipped.

This guide explains all three families, the anatomy of each citation type, the round-bracket versus square-bracket convention, paragraph pinpoint practice, statute citations, and how to verify a citation before you rely on it.

Family 1: neutral citations

A neutral citation is assigned by the court itself, not by any publisher. It does not depend on which law report happens to include the judgment, which database you are using, or what page a printer set the type on. It is permanent and stable.

The Supreme Court format: INSC

The Supreme Court of India’s neutral citation uses this structure:

YEAR INSC SEQUENTIAL-NUMBER

“INSC” stands for India Supreme Court. The year is the four-digit year in which the judgment was pronounced, not the year in which it was reported. The sequential number is the unique serial number of that judgment among all Supreme Court judgments delivered in that calendar year, assigned in the order of pronouncement.

For example, a Supreme Court judgment that was the 835th judgment delivered in 2024 carries the neutral citation 2024 INSC 835. The citation is sometimes written without spaces (2024INSC835) in official system outputs, but the spaced form is the standard for written submissions.

The system was launched in Phase 1 on 6 July 2023. It covers judgments from 1 January 2014 onwards, including cases decided before the July 2023 launch. Each judgment bearing a neutral citation also carries a QR code on its first page linking to the official copy on the Supreme Court’s portal.

High Court neutral citations

Several High Courts have adopted their own neutral citation systems, using a court-specific abbreviation in place of INSC. The Delhi High Court was the first High Court to implement this, and its format uses a colon-separated structure:

YEAR:DHC:SEQUENTIAL-NUMBER

“DHC” stands for Delhi High Court. Division bench judgments carry a “-DB” suffix: for example, 2023:DHC:2073-DB. Other High Courts have adopted analogous formats with their own court abbreviations. The abbreviations are published on the individual court’s official website. Because adoption is still ongoing across different High Courts, you should check the official website of the relevant court for the abbreviation it has assigned itself.

What neutral citations cannot yet replace

Neutral citations are assigned to judgments that the court itself uploads to the official portal. For pre-2014 Supreme Court decisions, and for any High Court judgment from a court that has not yet implemented the system, there is generally no neutral citation. The Supreme Court’s Phase 2 rollout has begun assigning neutral citations retroactively to older judgments reported in the Supreme Court Reports, but coverage is incomplete. For any authority that still lacks one, reporter citations remain the only option.

Family 2: reporter citations, AIR, SCC, and SCR

Reporter citations are assigned by publishers, official or private, who select certain judgments and print them in organized volumes with headnotes, catchwords, and editorial notes. The same judgment may be published by several reporters and will receive a separate citation in each.

Supreme Court Reports (SCR)

SCR is the official reporter of the Supreme Court of India, published under the authority of the court. It uses square brackets and a volume number:

[YEAR] VOLUME SCR PAGE

Example: [2024] 11 SCR 1 means volume 11 of the Supreme Court Reports for the year 2024, starting at page 1. Because SCR is the official reporter, it is the citation form preferred by the Bluebook (T2.18 India) and referenced in the Equivalent Citation Tables published by the Supreme Court itself.

The SCR is freely accessible online at scr.sci.gov.in, which serves as the official digital repository merged from the earlier eSCR and DigiSCR portals.

Supreme Court Cases (SCC)

SCC is a widely used private reporter published by Eastern Book Company. It uses round brackets:

(YEAR) VOLUME SCC PAGE

Example: (1973) 4 SCC 225 is the fourth volume of Supreme Court Cases for 1973, starting at page 225. SCC is the citation format most commonly seen in Indian court filings today, in part because of its wide availability and the detailed headnotes prepared by its editorial team.

All India Reporter (AIR)

AIR is one of the oldest Indian law reporters, covering not only the Supreme Court but also all High Courts in a single series. Its citation format does not use volumes. Instead, the year functions as the organizing element:

AIR YEAR COURT-ABBREVIATION PAGE

Example: AIR 1994 SC 1918 means the All India Reporter for 1994, the Supreme Court section, starting at page 1918. For High Court decisions, the abbreviation changes: AIR 1994 Cal 150 would be a Calcutta High Court decision. Because AIR does not use volume numbers, the year alone identifies which annual bound volume to consult.

Other reporters you will encounter

A few others appear frequently in older authorities:

  • JT (Judgments Today): another private reporter for Supreme Court decisions.
  • SCALE: a Supreme Court reporter organized by scale of reporting.
  • SCC (Online): when a citation appears in a digital context referring to a database, the citation itself should still be to the print reporter series (e.g., SCC), not to the database. The database is a delivery vehicle, not a citation source.

Regional High Court reporters also exist, such as the Bombay Law Reporter (BLR), the Calcutta Weekly Notes (CWN), the Madras Law Journal (MLJ), and many others. These follow formats similar to AIR or SCC depending on how the series is organized.

Family 3: parallel citations

A parallel citation lists the same judgment as reported in more than one reporter series in the same reference. The convention in Indian practice is to lead with the neutral citation (if one exists) followed by one or more reporter citations:

Party v. Party, 2024 INSC 835: (2024) 5 SCC 100

If no neutral citation exists, the convention is to lead with the SCR citation (as the official reporter) and follow with any other reporter used:

Party v. Party, [2024] 11 SCR 1: (2024) 5 SCC 100

The colon separates citations in the same parallel string. Some practitioners use a semi-colon; either is accepted in practice. What matters is that the sources are listed consecutively and that the reader can follow each individual citation to locate the case.

Parallel citations are especially useful when the opponent, the judge, or the court’s library may have access to one reporter but not another. Listing two or three parallel citations also helps when checking whether a citation is valid: if the case appears in SCR at the page cited and also in SCC at the page cited, the citations are more likely correct.

Anatomy of a citation

Take the reporter citation Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, (1973) 4 SCC 225.

Each element carries specific information:

ElementWhat it tells you
Kesavananda BharatiFirst named party on one side
v.Versus (abbreviation of “versus”)
State of KeralaFirst named party on the other side
(1973)Year of reporting, in round brackets
4Volume 4 of SCC for that year
SCCReporter abbreviation: Supreme Court Cases
225Page on which the report begins

For a neutral citation, the structure is simpler. Take 2024 INSC 835:

ElementWhat it tells you
2024Year of judgment pronouncement
INSCCourt: India Supreme Court
835Sequential case number for that year

Party names

By convention, only the first named party on each side appears in the citation, even if the full case title lists multiple parties. Use “v.” (not “vs.” or “versus” spelled out) between the parties. Party names are italicised in print. In court documents where italics are unavailable, underlining may be used, though modern word processors make italics straightforward.

When the State, Union of India, or a statutory body is a party, the full official name should be used at first reference: “State of Maharashtra” rather than just “State.” In subsequent short-form references, the shortened name is acceptable.

Year

The year in a reporter citation is the year in which the reporter published the judgment, not necessarily the year in which the court decided it. A judgment decided in December of one year may appear in the following year’s volumes. For neutral citations, the year is the year of the decision, which avoids this ambiguity.

Volume

SCC and SCR use a sequential volume number within the year. AIR does not. When citing AIR, omit the volume element entirely.

Reporter abbreviation

The abbreviation must exactly match the reporter series you are citing. Common confusions include SCR vs. SCC (both Supreme Court reporters, very different series) and AIR SC vs. SCC (both cover the Supreme Court, different publishers). Double-check the abbreviation against the actual spine or header of the report.

Page

The page number in a reporter citation is the first page of that particular case report in that volume, not the page where a specific paragraph appears. To direct the reader to a specific passage, you add a pinpoint reference after the page number (see the next section).

Round brackets vs square brackets

The bracket convention in Indian citations follows a principle borrowed from English law reporting.

Round brackets (year) are used when the year is supplementary information. The volume number alone is sufficient to find the right book. If volume 4 of SCC 1973 is on a shelf, you can go directly to page 225 without knowing the year. The year in round brackets tells you roughly when to expect the case, but it is not the primary locator.

Square brackets [year] are used when the year is essential to locating the report. There is no volume number that independently identifies the correct book: you must know the year first. SCR uses square brackets for this reason. AIR does not use brackets at all because the year forms part of the citation title itself (AIR 1994 SC…) and functions as the locator element.

In practice:

  • SCC: round brackets, because SCC is volume-organized.
  • SCR: square brackets, because SCR is year-organized and no volume number uniquely identifies the book without the year.
  • AIR: no brackets, year appears as part of the series identifier.
  • Neutral citations: no brackets, because the year is part of the court-assigned identifier, not a reporter-year.

Getting the bracket type wrong is a small but visible error. Advocates who write “(1984) 3 SCR 200” instead of “[1984] 3 SCR 200” signal unfamiliarity with basic citation form.

Pinpoint citations: paragraph, not headnote

A citation that points only to the starting page of a case report does not tell the reader where within the judgment the passage you are relying on can be found. A pinpoint citation narrows the reference to the specific paragraph.

Why paragraph, not page?

The same judgment printed in SCC begins on page 225; printed in AIR it begins on a completely different page; the typed judgment on the Supreme Court website has neither set of page numbers. The paragraph numbers in the body of the judgment, by contrast, are fixed in the judgment itself and do not change between publications.

The standard form for a pinpoint in an Indian filing is:

Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, (1973) 4 SCC 225, para 56.

Or, using a neutral citation with a paragraph pinpoint:

Party v. Party, 2024 INSC 835, para 12.

When citing a range of paragraphs:

para 12-15

or

paras 12 to 15

Why not headnotes?

Headnotes are summaries prepared by the editorial team of the law reporter. They are useful for understanding what a judgment holds, but they are not part of the court’s reasoning. They are not the words of the court. The Supreme Court’s own SCR portal explicitly notes that summaries and headnotes do not form part of the court’s decision and are not for use in legal proceedings as if they were the holding.

Citing a headnote as the proposition of law, rather than the paragraph of the judgment that states it, is a common and avoidable error. A judge reading your brief will want to turn to the actual paragraph. Give them that paragraph.

If you want to read a judgment carefully before citing it, the guide on how to read and brief an Indian judgment walks through the structure of Indian court orders and where the operative reasoning usually sits.

First reference and subsequent short form

First reference

The first time you cite a case in a document, give the full citation:

Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India, (1978) 1 SCC 248.

Or with a neutral citation:

Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India, (1978) 1 SCC 248 [2024 INSC equivalent if assigned].

Include the court and year if there is any ambiguity about whether the judgment is from the Supreme Court or a High Court. Supreme Court decisions are assumed unless you indicate otherwise.

Subsequent short form

After the first reference, you may use a short form. The usual Indian practice is:

Maneka Gandhi (supra), para 56.

Or simply:

Maneka Gandhi, para 56.

“Supra” signals that the full citation has already appeared above in the document. It replaces the year, volume, reporter, and page. Do not use “supra” on the first reference. Do not use it if the full citation has not appeared at all; instead, give the full citation.

In footnoted academic writing, “supra note [n], para [x]” is the standard form where “n” is the footnote number of the first reference.

Ibid

“Ibid” (short for ibidem, meaning “in the same place”) is used when consecutive references are to the same case. If you cite Maneka Gandhi at footnote 10 and the very next citation (footnote 11) is also Maneka Gandhi, you may write “Ibid, para 60.” If the paragraph is also the same, just “Ibid” suffices. Do not use “Ibid” across non-consecutive citations.

Citing statutes and constitutional articles

Acts of Parliament and state legislatures

The standard form for a statute citation in Indian legal writing is:

The [Name of Act], [Year of Enactment], s. [section number].

Examples:

  • The Indian Contract Act, 1872, s. 23.
  • The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, s. 151.
  • The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, s. 103.

When you cite a sub-section or clause, add it immediately after the section number:

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, s. 103(1)(a).

The 2023 criminal law recodification

If you cite the old criminal codes alongside their replacements, make clear which applies by giving both names or by specifying the operative period. The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) was replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS). The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC) was replaced by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS). The Indian Evidence Act, 1872 was replaced by the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA). The new codes came into force on 1 July 2024. For any matter governed by pre-1 July 2024 conduct, the old codes apply. For post-1 July 2024 conduct, the new codes apply. Cite accordingly and, where the section numbers differ substantially, consider citing both for clarity: “s. 302 IPC (now s. 103 BNS).”

Citing rules and regulations

For subordinate legislation, use:

The [Name of Rules/Regulations], [Year], r. [rule number].

Example: The Income Tax Rules, 1962, r. 5.

Constitutional articles

The standard form in legal writing is:

Article [number] of the Constitution of India.

or simply

Article [number]

where context makes clear that the Constitution of India is intended.

For clauses and sub-clauses:

Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India.

In academic and footnoted writing, some citation guides use the abbreviation “Const. art.” followed by the article number. In court documents, the full phrase “Article” is preferred on first reference; subsequent references in the same filing may abbreviate to “Art.” if the context is unambiguous.

When citing a constitutional amendment, name the amendment act: “The Constitution (Forty-Second Amendment) Act, 1976, inserting Article 31C.”

Schedules

Reference schedules by their ordinal number and, where necessary, the entry number within the schedule:

Entry 54, List I (Union List), Schedule VII to the Constitution of India.

How to check a citation is correct

Verification is not optional. Citing a non-existent citation in a court document can result in adverse remarks from the bench and, in egregious cases, costs. The process of verification takes a few minutes and is worth every second.

Step 1: locate the neutral citation if one exists

If the judgment is from 2014 or later and is a Supreme Court decision, search for it at scr.sci.gov.in using the case name or the case number. The portal will show the neutral citation, the judgment date, and a link to the full text. Cross-check the INSC number, the year, and the sequential number.

For Delhi High Court judgments, the official judgment portal at delhihighcourt.nic.in allows search by neutral citation. Other High Courts with neutral citation systems have similar portals.

Step 2: verify reporter citations against the original

If you are citing SCC, confirm the volume and page by checking a copy of the physical reporter or a database that accurately mirrors the print series. If you are citing AIR, check the year and the page. If you have only heard the citation second-hand or found it in a secondary source, trace it to the original before you use it.

Step 3: check whether the case is still good law

A correct citation to a judgment that has been overruled or distinguished on the exact point you are relying on is almost as bad as a wrong citation. Good-law verification is a separate skill: the guide on checking good law and citators in India explains how to trace the subsequent treatment of any judgment.

Step 4: pinpoint the paragraph you actually read

Do not cite a paragraph you have not read. If you have only read the headnote, go back to the judgment text, find the passage in the body of the judgment that the headnote summarises, and cite that paragraph. This is especially important when the headnote simplifies a nuanced holding or omits qualifications.

For researchers working across large volumes of case law, Niyam searches across 72,000+ Indian judgments grounded in primary sources, with every answer cited to the specific paragraph and reporter citation, reducing the risk of a citation error reaching your brief.

Good practice vs bad practice: a quick reference table

What you are doing✓ Good practice✗ Bad practice
Citing a post-2014 Supreme Court caseLead with the neutral citation: 2024 INSC 835Omit the neutral citation when one exists
Citing SCC(2023) 5 SCC 100 (round brackets)[2023] 5 SCC 100 (wrong bracket type)
Citing SCR[2024] 11 SCR 1 (square brackets)(2024) 11 SCR 1 (wrong bracket type)
Pinpointing a passage(1978) 1 SCC 248, para 30(1978) 1 SCC 248 (page only, no pinpoint)
Relying on a holdingQuote or summarise from para 30 of the judgment textQuote the headnote as if it were the court’s words
Subsequent referencesManeka Gandhi (supra), para 30Repeat the full citation each time
Citing a statute sectionThe Indian Contract Act, 1872, s. 23”ICA s. 23” with no year and no full name on first reference
Constitutional articleArticle 21 of the Constitution of India”Art 21” on first reference with no expansion
Citing parallel reporters2024 INSC 835: (2024) 5 SCC 100Mixing up the sequence so the unofficial reporter leads
Using AIRAIR 1994 SC 1918 (no brackets)(1994) AIR SC 1918 (brackets added incorrectly)
Checking a citationVerify on scr.sci.gov.in or the court’s portalRely on a second-hand citation without tracing it to the original
Citing post-July 2024 criminal matters”s. 103 BNS” (new code section)“s. 302 IPC” when the new code applies

How Niyam helps

Building a citation-accurate brief requires tracing multiple reporters, checking neutral citations, and verifying that each paragraph says what you say it says. Niyam researches statutes, regulations, and case law from its corpus of 72,000+ Indian judgments, returning answers cited to primary sources with reporter citations and paragraph references, not headnote summaries. Every result links back to where in the judgment the passage appears. For an overview of how AI-assisted research can reduce citation errors, see our guide on avoiding hallucinations in AI legal research in India.

Start for ₹100 and run your first search with citations already attached.

Frequently asked questions

What does INSC stand for in Indian case citations?

INSC stands for India Supreme Court. It is the court abbreviation used in the Supreme Court’s neutral citation system, which assigns every judgment a unique identifier in the format YEAR INSC SEQUENTIAL-NUMBER, for example 2024 INSC 835. The system covers Supreme Court judgments from 2014 onwards.

What is the difference between SCC and SCR in Indian citations?

Both are Supreme Court reporters. SCR (Supreme Court Reports) is the official reporter published under court authority and is freely accessible at scr.sci.gov.in. SCC (Supreme Court Cases) is a widely used private reporter published by Eastern Book Company. SCR uses square brackets because the year is essential to locating the correct volume; SCC uses round brackets because the volume number is the primary locator.

Why does AIR not use any brackets?

AIR (All India Reporter) integrates the year directly into the citation title as an identifying element rather than a supplementary one. The format AIR 1994 SC 1918 does not require brackets because the year is already structurally embedded alongside the reporter abbreviation and court code, making it self-locating without the bracket convention.

Can I cite a High Court decision from a state I am not appearing in?

Yes. Indian courts regularly consider High Court decisions from other states, particularly on questions of statutory interpretation or constitutional law where there is no Supreme Court authority. The persuasive weight of such a decision will depend on the court’s assessment of the reasoning, not on the originating jurisdiction. Cite it with the correct reporter abbreviation and court code so the reader knows which High Court it comes from.

What is the Delhi High Court’s neutral citation format?

The Delhi High Court uses the format YEAR:DHC:NUMBER, for example 2023:DHC:2720. Division bench judgments carry a “-DB” suffix, for example 2023:DHC:2073-DB. The “DHC” stands for Delhi High Court. Other High Courts have adopted analogous formats with their own court abbreviations, published on their respective official websites.

Should I lead with the neutral citation or the SCC citation in a filing?

Where a neutral citation exists, current best practice, consistent with the Supreme Court’s intention in introducing the system, is to lead with the neutral citation and follow with the reporter citation in parallel: 2024 INSC 835: (2024) 5 SCC 100. If no neutral citation has been assigned (for pre-2014 judgments or courts that have not adopted the system), lead with the SCR citation as the official reporter.

How do I cite a Supreme Court judgment from before 2014?

For pre-2014 judgments, a neutral citation may not exist (the Supreme Court’s Phase 2 rollout is assigning them retroactively, but coverage is incomplete). Cite by reporter citation, preferably SCR as the official reporter, followed by any parallel reporter you have used: [1973] Supp SCR 1: (1973) 4 SCC 225. Use the correct bracket type for each reporter.

“Supra” is a Latin term meaning “above.” When you use a short-form citation such as Maneka Gandhi (supra), para 30, it signals that the full citation of Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India has already appeared earlier in the document. Do not use supra on the first reference to a case. In footnoted academic writing, the form is typically Maneka Gandhi, supra note [n], para 30, where n is the footnote number of the first full citation.

Is it wrong to cite a headnote as the holding?

Yes, for practical purposes. Headnotes are prepared by editorial staff of the reporter, not by the court. The Supreme Court’s own portal states that summaries and headnotes are not for use in legal proceedings as if they were the decision of the court. Always cite the specific paragraph of the judgment text that contains the proposition you are relying on.

What is a parallel citation and when should I use one?

A parallel citation lists the same judgment as it appears in two or more reporters in the same reference, separated by a colon. Use parallel citations when your opponent, the court, or the opposing party’s counsel may have access to only one of the reporters; when you want to help the reader cross-check accuracy; or when court rules require citation to a specific reporter. The neutral citation (if available) leads, followed by SCR, then SCC or AIR.

How do I cite a constitutional article in a court brief?

On first reference in a court document, write “Article [number] of the Constitution of India.” For sub-clauses, add them immediately: “Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India.” Subsequent references in the same document may use the abbreviated form “Article 19(1)(a)” or “Art. 19(1)(a)” once the full reference has been established. In academic footnotes, some citation guides use the form “Const. art. 19, cl. 1(a).”

How do I cite an Indian statute section with sub-sections?

The standard form is: The [Name of Act], [Year], s. section number(clause). Example: The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, s. 11(a). For proviso or explanation, add: The [Act], [Year], s. [section], proviso or s. [section], Explanation I, as appropriate.

What do I do if the old IPC section and the new BNS section differ?

State both for clarity when the provision governs conduct that spans the transition date of 1 July 2024. A common form is “s. 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (now s. 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023).” For events after 1 July 2024, cite only the BNS section. For events before that date, cite the IPC section and note the current equivalent if relevant.

Where can I find the official text of a Supreme Court judgment for free?

The Supreme Court’s SCR portal at scr.sci.gov.in provides free access to Supreme Court judgments, including the neutral citation number, the full text, and headnotes. The Supreme Court’s main website at sci.gov.in also hosts judgments and the neutral citation search. The eSCR portal and the earlier DigiSCR have been merged into the SCR portal. For more on free access to judgments and the neutral citation initiative, see our post on the eSCR neutral citation system and free judgment access.

What is “ibid” and how is it different from “supra”?

“Ibid” (from ibidem, “in the same place”) is used only when the immediately preceding citation and this one are to the same source. If footnote 10 cites Kesavananda Bharati and footnote 11 also cites Kesavananda Bharati, footnote 11 may read “Ibid, para 60.” “Supra” is used for a case cited earlier in the document but not in the immediately preceding citation; it requires a footnote or paragraph reference back to the first full citation.

Do Indian courts care about citation format?

Courts differ in how strictly they apply citation format, but the underlying function is consistent: a citation must allow the reader to find the exact authority you are relying on. A badly formatted citation that cannot be located will be treated as no citation at all. High Courts and the Supreme Court have, on occasion, made adverse remarks about unverifiable citations. Formatting correctly is also a mark of professional competence that affects how submissions are received.

Can I use “and others” instead of listing all parties?

Yes. Indian practice accepts “and Ors.” (or “and Others”) to replace additional parties after the first named party on each side. Example: State of Rajasthan and Ors. v. Union of India and Ors. The abbreviation “Ors.” is the standard form. In short-form subsequent references, you may drop the “and Ors.” entirely once the case has been identified.

Is there a single authoritative Indian citation standard?

There is no single statutory or court-mandated citation standard that applies to all courts and documents in India. Academic journals use their own house styles (NUJS, GNLU, ILI each have published citation guides). The Bluebook (Table T2.18, India) is used in some academic contexts. The Supreme Court’s procedural rules govern documents filed before it, but those rules address form and length rather than citation format in detail. In practice, the formats described in this guide represent the settled common usage among practitioners.

What is the safest approach when I am unsure of a citation?

Refer to the case by party names, court, and approximate year of decision without assigning a specific volume, reporter, or page number you have not verified. “In Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (Supreme Court, 1978), the court held that…” is a proper reference even without a reporter citation, and far better than a citation number you are guessing at. Once you have verified the citation against the original source, add it. Zero hallucinated citations is the only acceptable standard in court documents.

Key takeaways

  • Indian citations fall into three families: neutral (court-assigned, permanent), reporter (publisher-assigned, source-dependent), and parallel (same case, multiple reporters listed together).
  • The Supreme Court’s neutral citation format is YEAR INSC NUMBER (e.g., 2024 INSC 835), covering judgments from 2014 onwards. High Courts use analogous formats with their own abbreviations.
  • SCC uses round brackets; SCR uses square brackets; AIR uses no brackets. Getting the bracket type right is a basic competency marker.
  • Always give a paragraph pinpoint, not just the first page of the report. Headnotes are not the court’s words and should not be cited as holdings.
  • On first reference, give the full citation. On subsequent references, use the short form with “supra” or “ibid” as appropriate.
  • For statutes, cite the full name, year, and section number. For the 2023 criminal law recodification, clarify which code applies to the relevant period.
  • For constitutional articles, write “Article [n] of the Constitution of India” on first reference.
  • Verify every citation against the primary source before filing. The SCR portal (scr.sci.gov.in) is the free official starting point for Supreme Court authorities.
  • Check that any case you cite is still good law. See the guide on checking good law and citators in India for that process.

Start for ₹100 and get citation-grounded answers from 72,000+ Indian judgments, so your next brief is built on verified law.