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How to read legal citations in India

Indian cases are cited to private report series such as AIR (All India Reporter) and SCC (Supreme Court Cases). One case often has several citations, and judges list them side by side.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Style guide: No single national style; the Bluebook-based and OSCOLA-based styles are both used. Courts and journals vary. The most common citations are to the private reports AIR and SCC, and since 2023 the Supreme Court also issues neutral citations.

Real citations, decoded

Click or hover over any underlined piece to see what it means.

A case with parallel citations Case

() ,

  1. Case name Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala
    The parties, with v between them.
  2. Year 1973
    The year of the report in round brackets.
  3. Volume 4
    Volume 4 for that year.
  4. Series SCC
    Supreme Court Cases, a private series that reports Supreme Court decisions.
  5. First page 225
    The page where the report begins.
  6. Parallel citation AIR 1973 SC 1461
    The same case in the All India Reporter. 'SC' means the Supreme Court section, and 1461 is the page.

The Supreme Court also began issuing neutral citations, in the form 'year INSC number', where INSC stands for the Indian Supreme Court.

Full citation: Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala (1973) 4 SCC 225, AIR 1973 SC 1461

A statute Statute

,

  1. Short title and year Indian Contract Act 1872
    Indian Acts are named by short title and year.
  2. Section s 10
    Section 10 says which agreements are contracts.
Full citation: Indian Contract Act 1872, s 10

A constitutional provision Constitution

,

  1. Document Constitution of India
    The Constitution of India.
  2. Article art 21
    Article 21, the right to life and personal liberty.
Full citation: Constitution of India, art 21

A Supreme Court case Case

()

  1. Case name Maneka Gandhi v Union of India
    The parties. 'Union of India' is how the central government is named as a party.
  2. Year 1978
    In round brackets, because Indian reports are numbered by volume.
  3. Volume 1
    Volume 1 of that year.
  4. Report series SCC
    Supreme Court Cases, a private but standard series.
  5. First page 248
    The page where the report begins.

The case also appears as AIR 1978 SC 597 (All India Reporter, Supreme Court section).

Full citation: Maneka Gandhi v Union of India (1978) 1 SCC 248

A statute with its number Statute

(),

  1. Title and year Right to Information Act 2005
    The title and the year.
  2. Act number 22 of 2005
    Each Indian Act has a number and a year, shown as 'number of year'.
  3. Section s 8(1)
    Section 8(1) lists the kinds of information that are exempt from disclosure.
Full citation: Right to Information Act 2005 (22 of 2005), s 8(1)

Things to remember

  • Courts often list several parallel citations for one case, such as SCC, AIR and SCR.
  • AIR is the All India Reporter; SCC is Supreme Court Cases; SCR is the Supreme Court Reports (official).
  • High court cases add the court after AIR, for example 'AIR 1999 Bom 123' for Bombay.

Where to find the text, free

To understand how courts and law fit together in India, read the India profile in the Legal Families Atlas.

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TheLawToKnow Tools’s citation guide is an educational overview of standard conventions. Courts and journals sometimes vary, so check the style guide before submitting or publishing. It is not legal advice. Report a mistake.