How to check NCLT case status

NCLT is not on eCourts

The National Company Law Tribunal hears company law and insolvency matters through benches across India. Unlike district courts, NCLT does not use the eCourts system. It has its own website, nclt.gov.in, with its own case status search and cause lists. Appeals go to the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, which has its own site as well.

So a CNR number will not help you here. You track an NCLT matter by its filing number or its case number, and by the bench.

Filing number and case number

When a petition or application is filed, it gets a filing number. After scrutiny and registration, it gets a case number, such as a CP (IB) number for an insolvency petition or an IA number for an interlocutory application. The two are different. A matter that has been filed but not registered will only be found by filing number.

Keep both numbers in your file. Orders and cause lists generally refer to the case number once it exists.

The search options

The case status page on the NCLT website usually lets you search by:

• Filing number – with the bench and the year.
• Case number – case type, number and year, with the bench.
• Party name – useful when you know the corporate debtor's name.
• Advocate name – lists matters where an advocate is recorded.

Step by step

• Open nclt.gov.in and go to the case status section.
• Choose the bench where the matter is filed. Selecting the wrong bench is the most common reason a search returns nothing.
• Pick the search type – filing number, case number, party or advocate.
• Enter the details and the captcha, if shown.
• Open the result to see the case details, the listing history and the orders.

What the status page shows

• Filing number, case number and date of filing.
• Parties and their advocates.
• Bench and court where the matter is listed.
• Listing history with past dates and the next date of hearing, where fixed.
• Orders, uploaded as PDFs, usually after they are signed.

NCLT cause lists

Each NCLT bench publishes its own cause list on the website, court by court. Lists are often PDFs. Read the bench, the court number and the time at the top, and the item number against your matter.

IAs are frequently listed along with the main company petition. If you are watching an IA, search the list for the main CP number as well.

Reading the listing history

The listing history is the most useful part of the status page. Each row gives a date and what happened – heard, adjourned, reserved for orders, or not reached. Read it from the bottom up to see how the matter has moved. A run of not reached entries tells you the bench is heavily listed and you should plan for an early mention if the matter is urgent.

Where the next date column is blank, the matter may be awaiting listing after an order, or it may have been reserved. Read the last order before you conclude anything. If a matter has been reserved, the pronouncement date, when fixed, will appear in the cause list under the pronouncement heading.

In insolvency matters, keep an eye on the dates by which the resolution professional must file reports or applications. These deadlines come from the statute and the orders, not from the listing history, so diarise them separately.

Common problems

• Wrong bench selected – a matter filed in Mumbai will not appear under Delhi.
• Only a filing number available – registration may still be pending; search by filing number.
• Order not yet uploaded – orders are uploaded after signing, which can take a few days.
• Name variations – a corporate debtor's name may be recorded with or without Private Limited, or with a typo. Try shorter search terms.

Keeping NCLT matters with the rest of your diary

Most litigators do not practise only before NCLT. The same advocate may have a CP (IB) in the morning and a civil suit in the afternoon. Keeping two systems – the NCLT site for one, eCourts for the other – is where dates get missed.

Case Diary lets you keep NCLT and NCLAT matters in the same diary as your High Court and district matters. Coverage for tribunals varies; our courts covered page shows, from live data, where it is full and where it is partial. For a wider look at the problem, read our guide on keeping track of matters across several courts.