# Court Abbreviations - Indian Legal Citations

## Supreme Court

**Supreme Court of India**:
- Abbreviation: **SC**
- Usage: `AIR [Year] SC [Page]`
- Example: `AIR 1973 SC 1461`

**Alternative Names**:
- Supreme Court of India
- Apex Court (informal, not in citations)
- Hon'ble Supreme Court (in formal addresses)

---

## High Courts (25 Courts)

### 1. **Allahabad High Court**
- Abbreviation: **All**
- State/UT: Uttar Pradesh
- Bench: Lucknow bench also exists
- Example: `AIR 2020 All 145`

### 2. **Andhra Pradesh High Court**
- Abbreviation: **AP** (pre-2014) / **AP (Old)** (for historical)
- State/UT: Andhra Pradesh (pre-bifurcation)
- Note: After 2014, separate HC for Telangana created

### 3. **Andhra Pradesh High Court (Post-2014)**
- Abbreviation: **AP**
- State/UT: Andhra Pradesh
- Established: 2019 (common HC till 2019)
- Example: `AIR 2020 AP 82`

### 4. **Bombay High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Bom**
- State/UT: Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu
- Benches: Aurangabad, Nagpur, Panaji (Goa)
- Example: `AIR 2018 Bom 156`

### 5. **Calcutta High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Cal**
- State/UT: West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
- Circuit Bench: Port Blair
- Example: `AIR 2019 Cal 234`

### 6. **Chhattisgarh High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Chhatt** or **Chh**
- State/UT: Chhattisgarh
- Established: 2000
- Example: `AIR 2015 Chh 67`

### 7. **Delhi High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Del**
- State/UT: National Capital Territory of Delhi
- Example: `AIR 2020 Del 189`

### 8. **Gauhati High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Gau**
- State/UT: Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh
- Benches: Kohima, Aizawl, Itanagar
- Example: `AIR 2017 Gau 92`

### 9. **Gujarat High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Guj**
- State/UT: Gujarat
- Example: `AIR 2021 Guj 45`

### 10. **Himachal Pradesh High Court**
- Abbreviation: **HP**
- State/UT: Himachal Pradesh
- Example: `AIR 2016 HP 118`

### 11. **Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court**
- Abbreviation: **J&K** or **J&K & Ladakh**
- State/UT: Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh
- Benches: Srinagar, Jammu, Leh
- Note: Previously separate J&K HC, now covers Ladakh post-2019
- Example: `AIR 2022 J&K 77`

### 12. **Jharkhand High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Jhar**
- State/UT: Jharkhand
- Established: 2000
- Example: `AIR 2018 Jhar 103`

### 13. **Karnataka High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Kant** or **Kar**
- State/UT: Karnataka
- Benches: Dharwad, Kalaburagi
- Example: `AIR 2019 Kant 212`

### 14. **Kerala High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Ker**
- State/UT: Kerala, Lakshadweep
- Example: `AIR 2020 Ker 165`

### 15. **Madhya Pradesh High Court**
- Abbreviation: **MP**
- State/UT: Madhya Pradesh
- Benches: Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur
- Example: `AIR 2017 MP 98`

### 16. **Madras High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Mad**
- State/UT: Tamil Nadu, Puducherry
- Bench: Madurai
- Example: `AIR 2021 Mad 134`

### 17. **Manipur High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Mani**
- State/UT: Manipur
- Established: 2013
- Example: `AIR 2015 Mani 34`

### 18. **Meghalaya High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Meg**
- State/UT: Meghalaya
- Established: 2013
- Example: `AIR 2016 Meg 22`

### 19. **Orissa High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Ori**
- State/UT: Odisha
- Example: `AIR 2019 Ori 187`

### 20. **Patna High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Pat**
- State/UT: Bihar
- Example: `AIR 2018 Pat 145`

### 21. **Punjab and Haryana High Court**
- Abbreviation: **P&H**
- State/UT: Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh
- Example: `AIR 2020 P&H 203`

### 22. **Rajasthan High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Raj**
- State/UT: Rajasthan
- Bench: Jaipur (Principal), Jodhpur
- Example: `AIR 2017 Raj 156`

### 23. **Sikkim High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Sikk**
- State/UT: Sikkim
- Established: 1975
- Example: `AIR 2019 Sikk 18`

### 24. **Telangana High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Tel** or **Telangana**
- State/UT: Telangana
- Established: 2019 (separate from AP)
- Example: `AIR 2020 Tel 94`

### 25. **Tripura High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Tri**
- State/UT: Tripura
- Established: 2013
- Example: `AIR 2015 Tri 29`

### 26. **Uttarakhand High Court**
- Abbreviation: **Utt**
- State/UT: Uttarakhand
- Established: 2000 (as Uttaranchal HC, renamed 2007)
- Example: `AIR 2018 Utt 67`

---

## District Courts

**General Format**:
District courts not typically cited in AIR. Use court name:
```
[Party] v. [Party], [Judgment Date], [Court Name]
```

Example:
- Ram v. Shyam, 15.03.2020, District Court Delhi (Tis Hazari)

---

## Tribunals

### National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)
- Abbreviation: **NCLT**
- Benches: Multiple (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, etc.)
- Example: `[Company] v. [Company], [Year] NCLT [Bench] [Number]`

### National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT)
- Abbreviation: **NCLAT**
- Location: New Delhi
- Example: `Company Appeal (AT) No. [X]/[Year]`

### National Green Tribunal (NGT)
- Abbreviation: **NGT**
- Benches: Principal (Delhi), Regional benches
- Example: `Original Application No. [X]/[Year] (NGT)`

### Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT)
- Abbreviation: **CAT**
- Multiple benches across India
- Example: `OA No. [X]/[Year] (CAT [Bench])`

### Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT)
- Abbreviation: **ITAT**
- Benches: Multiple cities
- Example: `ITA No. [X]/[Year] (ITAT [City])`

### Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT)
- Abbreviation: **CESTAT**
- Benches: Multiple cities
- Example: `Appeal No. [X]/[Year] (CESTAT [City])`

### Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT)
- Abbreviation: **AFT**
- Regional benches
- Example: `TA No. [X]/[Year] (AFT [Bench])`

### Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT)
- Abbreviation: **DRT**
- Multiple benches
- Example: `SA No. [X]/[Year] (DRT [City])`

### Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal (DRAT)
- Abbreviation: **DRAT**
- Appellate authority
- Example: `Appeal No. [X]/[Year] (DRAT [City])`

---

## Historical Courts (Pre-Independence)

### Privy Council
- Abbreviation: **PC**
- Citations rare in modern practice
- Example: `[Case], [Year] PC [Page]`

### Federal Court of India (1937-1950)
- Abbreviation: **FC** or **FCR**
- Dissolved upon Supreme Court establishment
- Example: `[Case], [Year] FCR [Page]`

---

## Citation Format Summary

**Supreme Court**:
```
AIR [Year] SC [Page]
```

**High Courts**:
```
AIR [Year] [HC Abbreviation] [Page]
```

**Tribunals** (varies by tribunal):
```
[Case/Application No.] ([Tribunal Abbreviation] [Bench if applicable])
```

---

## Common Errors

### Incorrect Abbreviations
- ❌ S.C. → ✅ SC
- ❌ B.H.C. → ✅ Bom
- ❌ D.H.C. → ✅ Del
- ❌ HC → ✅ [Specific HC abbreviation]

### Ambiguous Citations
- ❌ "High Court" → ✅ Specify which HC
- ❌ "District Court" → ✅ Specify location
- ❌ "Tribunal" → ✅ Specify which tribunal

### Spacing Errors
- ❌ "AIR2020Del189" → ✅ "AIR 2020 Del 189"
- ❌ "AIR 2020Del 189" → ✅ "AIR 2020 Del 189"

---

## Quick Reference Table

| Court | Abbreviation | Established | Coverage |
|-------|--------------|-------------|----------|
| Supreme Court | SC | 1950 | All India |
| Allahabad HC | All | 1866 | UP |
| Bombay HC | Bom | 1862 | MH, Goa, DNH, DD |
| Calcutta HC | Cal | 1862 | WB, A&N |
| Delhi HC | Del | 1966 | NCT Delhi |
| Madras HC | Mad | 1862 | TN, Puducherry |
| Karnataka HC | Kant/Kar | 1884 | Karnataka |
| Kerala HC | Ker | 1958 | Kerala, Lakshadweep |
| Gujarat HC | Guj | 1960 | Gujarat |
| Punjab & Haryana HC | P&H | 1966 | Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh |

*(Refer to full list above for all 25 High Courts)*

---

**Reference Version**: 1.0.0
**Last Updated**: 2025-12-05
**Source**: Supreme Court Rules 2013; HC Rules; Official court websites