eCourts Digital Services in India: A Practical Guide for Advocates, Litigants and Law Students

By Adv. Rajesh Tekale / Yeshwant Legal Associates, YLA Legal Tech Desk | Navi Mumbai | 17 October 2026

Checking the next date, reading a cause list, downloading an order or paying a fine no longer always needs a trip to the registry. This guide explains the main official eCourts services, how to use them, and how to stay safe online. Each service was checked against official sources on 17 October 2026.

What is the eCourts project?

According to a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release of 13 September 2023, the eCourts project has been under implementation since 2007, under the National eGovernance Plan, for ICT enablement of the judiciary. Phase II concluded in 2023. On 13 September 2023, the Union Cabinet approved eCourts Phase III as a Central Sector Scheme spanning four years (2023 onwards), with a financial outlay of Rs 7,210 crore.

The same release states that Phase III is implemented jointly by the Department of Justice (Ministry of Law and Justice) and the eCommittee, Supreme Court of India, through the respective High Courts. Its components include digitisation of case records, cloud infrastructure, 1,150 virtual courts, 4,400 eSewa Kendras, paperless courts and e-filing.

1. eCourts Services portal: case status, cause lists and orders

The eCourts Services portal for district and taluka courts is at services.ecourts.gov.in. The eCommittee describes it as a centralised gateway offering cause lists, case status and daily orders and final judgments. High Court case status and cause lists are on hcservices.ecourts.gov.in.

Finding a case by CNR number. The CNR (Case Number Record) is a unique number assigned to each case. The portal asks for the 16-character alphanumeric CNR without hyphens or spaces, and gives the example format MHAU019999992015.

• Open services.ecourts.gov.in.
• Enter the CNR in the "Search by CNR number" box.
• Type the captcha and click Search to view the current status and history of the case.

If you do not have the CNR, the portal itself suggests using the other options in its Search Menu. Under Case Status, you can search by Case Number, Filing Number, FIR Number, Party Name (at least three characters), Advocate (name or bar code), Act or Case Type.

Checking a cause list. Open the Cause List option, select the state, district, court complex and court, choose the cause list date, and pick Civil or Criminal.

Orders and judgments. Under Court Order, the eCommittee says orders and judgments can be accessed by CNR number, case number, court number, party name or order date.

2. The eCourts Services mobile app

The eCourts Services app is available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. According to the eCommittee, it offers case status, cause lists and court orders, with search by CNR, party name, advocate name, FIR number, case type or Act. It also has a QR code scan feature, a "History of the Case" view and a "Date Case List" feature that helps advocates generate cause lists. Download it only via the official store links on the eCommittee website.

Note: the JustIS app is, per the eCommittee, a password-protected court management tool for judges, not a public case-status app.

3. Case updates by SMS and email

For people without internet access, the eCommittee's SMS Pull service returns case details by SMS. The official eCourts brochure gives the format as ECOURTS [space] [CNR number] sent to 9766899899. The brochure also mentions SMS push updates once a mobile number is registered, and automated email notifications once an email address is registered with the court.

4. National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG)

NJDG (njdg.ecourts.gov.in) is described by the eCommittee as a national repository of data on cases pending in and disposed of by district and taluka courts, with separate NJDG views for the High Courts and the Supreme Court. The eCommittee says figures are updated daily by the courts, so quote NJDG numbers only with the date you viewed them.

5. Judgments search portal

The "eSCR, Judgements and Orders" portal at judgments.ecourts.gov.in, hosted by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), lets users search Supreme Court and High Court judgments and orders by keyword, phrase, "any words", "all words" or proximity, with an advanced search option. Law students can use it to confirm that a judgment exists and read the full text before relying on it.

6. e-Filing

The eCommittee describes e-filing as a system for filing civil and criminal cases electronically before High Courts and District Courts that have adopted it. Its official link is efiling.ecourts.gov.in. The eFiling Services 3.0 user manual describes:

• registration as an advocate, where the bar registration number is verified against Bar Council data, or as a litigant (including party-in-person), with OTP verification;
• uploading pleadings, eSigning them through C-DAC's Aadhaar-based eSign, and recording the oath;
• filing interlocutory applications and paying fees online.

For Maharashtra: the "e-Filing Rules of the High Court of Bombay 2022" (notified 15 November 2022 and published in the Maharashtra Government Gazette) list two portals in their appendices. These are version 2.0 at efiling.ecourts.gov.in for the High Court at Bombay and its benches, and version 3.0 at filing.ecourts.gov.in/pdedev for district, taluka and ex-cadre courts in Maharashtra. Check the court's current notices before filing.

7. ePay: court fees, fines and deposits

The ePay portal (pay.ecourts.gov.in) supports online payment of court fees, fines, penalties and judicial deposits. According to the eCommittee, it is integrated with state-specific payment vendors such as SBI ePay, GRAS and e-GRAS.

• Open pay.ecourts.gov.in.
• Choose the payment type (Court Fee, Fine, Penalty or Judicial Deposit).
• For a court fee, select District Court or High Court and new or existing case (an existing case can be found by CNR, case number or filing number). Then select the state, district and establishment, fill in the details and mobile number, and pay.
• Save the receipt. The portal's terms say that payment issues should be taken up with the court concerned or the state's Finance/Treasury Department.

8. Virtual courts for traffic challans

Virtual courts (vcourts.gov.in) decide certain cases online, without the litigant or lawyer appearing in court. The eCommittee lists traffic challan cases under the Motor Vehicles Act among the pilot categories. On the portal, you choose your state's participating department and follow the steps shown. As of 17 October 2026, the department list included entries for Maharashtra. PIB notes that Phase III aims to extend virtual courts beyond traffic cases.

9. eSewa Kendras: help at the court complex

eSewa Kendras help with case status and hearing-date enquiries, online applications for certified copies, e-filing (including scanning and eSigning), ePayments, downloading the eCourts app, and settling traffic challans before virtual courts. They also guide people on free legal services from Legal Services Authorities (eCommittee).

Staying safe online

• Check the web address. Official eCourts services are on .gov.in domains (ecourts.gov.in, services.ecourts.gov.in, pay.ecourts.gov.in, vcourts.gov.in). The Supreme Court Registry's public notices of 9 January 2025, 28 April 2026 and 13 August 2026 warned about fake websites impersonating the Court and asked users to check URLs before clicking. Its registered domain is sci.gov.in.
• Be wary of "court" or "police" calls and messages that demand money. PIB's alert of 14 May 2024 describes "digital arrest" frauds in which criminals pose as police, CBI and other agencies. Report such incidents on the cybercrime helpline 1930 or at cybercrime.gov.in.
• Never share OTPs, passwords or banking details with anyone claiming to be from a court. The Supreme Court Registry's January 2025 notice states that it will never ask for personal, financial or other confidential information.
• Keep your CNR handy. Use it on the official portal, app or SMS service instead of links sent by strangers.

Key takeaways

• eCourts Phase III was approved by the Union Cabinet on 13 September 2023 for four years, with an outlay of Rs 7,210 crore (PIB).
• The 16-character CNR is the quickest way to track a case on services.ecourts.gov.in, the eCourts Services app, or by SMS to 9766899899.
• Cause lists, orders and Supreme Court and High Court judgments can be viewed on official portals.
• Court fees, fines, penalties and judicial deposits can be paid on pay.ecourts.gov.in; always keep the receipt.
• In Maharashtra, the Bombay High Court's 2022 e-Filing Rules name the official e-filing portals; check current court notices before filing.
• Use only official .gov.in web addresses, treat "digital arrest" calls as fraud, never share OTPs, and report fraud on 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.

मराठी सारांश: ई-कोर्ट्स सेवा वापरताना केवळ अधिकृत .gov.in संकेतस्थळेच वापरा, आपला CNR क्रमांक जपून ठेवा आणि OTP कोणालाही सांगू नका.

Disclaimer: This article is general educational information about publicly available eCourts services. It is not legal advice. Portal features and procedures may change; always confirm the current position on the official websites and with the court registry concerned.

YLA Legal Tech Desk · Adv. Rajesh Tekale / Yeshwant Legal Associates · yeshwantlaw@gmail.com · ylaworks.com