What a CNR number is and how to read it

The short answer

CNR stands for Case Number Record. It is a unique number given to a case when it is registered in a court that runs on the eCourts system. It stays with the case for its whole life. The case number may change when a matter is renumbered or transferred. The CNR does not.

For an advocate, the CNR is the most reliable handle on a matter. Give a clerk the CNR and they can find the case without asking which court, which year or which case type.

What a CNR looks like

A CNR has 16 characters: letters first, then numbers. A typical example looks like MHAU010012342024. It is not a random string. Each part tells you something.

• Characters 1 and 2 – the state code. MH is Maharashtra, DL is Delhi, KA is Karnataka, and so on.
• Characters 3 and 4 – the district code within that state.
• Characters 5 and 6 – the establishment number. This identifies the particular court complex or court within the district.
• Characters 7 to 12 – a six-digit running serial number for the case in that establishment.
• Characters 13 to 16 – the year of registration.

Reading the example

Take MHAU010012342024. MH is Maharashtra. AU is the district. 01 is the establishment. 001234 is the serial number. 2024 is the year the case was registered.

So even before you open the record, you know the state, the district, roughly which court, and when the case was filed. That helps when a client forwards a bare number on WhatsApp and cannot tell you where the matter is.

Do not confuse the CNR with the case number. The case number is the familiar form such as RCS 512/2023 or Cri. Appeal 88/2022. One matter has one CNR but may carry more than one case number over its life.

Where to find the CNR

You will usually find the CNR in one of these places:

• On the case status page of the eCourts portal, at the top of the case details.
• On orders and judgments downloaded from eCourts, often printed in the header or footer.
• On the cause list in some districts, next to the case number.
• On the filing receipt or registration slip issued by the court.
• In the eCourts Services mobile app, on the case details screen.

Do High Courts use CNR numbers?

Many High Courts that run on the eCourts High Court platform also issue CNRs, and these follow a similar 16-character pattern. Practice is not uniform. Some High Courts show the CNR prominently. Others lead with their own case numbering. If you cannot see a CNR on a High Court record, search by case type, number and year instead.

Tribunals such as NCLT, DRT and the consumer commissions generally run their own systems. They do not use the eCourts CNR. You track those matters by their own filing or case number.

Why the CNR matters in practice

Case types are written differently from court to court. One district writes M.A., another writes MA, a third writes Misc. App. The CNR avoids all of that. It is exact. It does not depend on how a clerk typed the case type.

The CNR also survives transfers within the eCourts system. When a matter moves from one court to another in the same establishment, the case number may change. The CNR lets you follow it.

For anyone who keeps a diary of fifty or five hundred matters, this is the difference between a search that always works and a search that works most days.

Common mistakes

• Mixing up the letter O and the digit 0. The first four characters are letters; the rest are digits.
• Dropping a leading zero in the serial number. 001234 is not the same as 1234.
• Adding spaces or hyphens. The CNR is entered as one unbroken string.
• Using the filing number instead of the CNR. The filing number is issued before registration and is a different thing.

Keep the CNR on your file

Write the CNR on the file cover the day the matter is registered. Put it in the fee note and in the client's matter sheet as well. Months later, when the case number has changed or a clerk has left, the CNR is the one reference that will still find the case in seconds.

Using the CNR in Case Diary

In Case Diary you can add a matter by its CNR. Paste the 16 characters and the app looks up the case, fills in the parties, court, case number and next date, and starts checking the record every day. If you do not have the CNR to hand, you can also add a matter by case number or by party name.

If you are new to eCourts, read our guide on how to check case status on eCourts next. It explains the other search options on the portal and when to use each one.