What are the main types of cases filed in the Supreme Court of India?

Common procedural case types include Special Leave Petitions, civil and criminal appeals, writ petitions, PILs, transfer petitions, review petitions, curative petitions, contempt petitions, arbitration petitions, election petitions, original suits and special references.

Is case type the same as case category in the Supreme Court?

No. A procedural case type identifies the form of proceeding, such as SLP, appeal or writ petition. The Supreme Court also uses a separate subject-matter categorization framework for allocation and case management.

What changed in the Supreme Court case categorization system in 2025?

A new subject-matter case categorization framework took effect from 21 April 2025. It groups matters into subject categories and subcategories while procedural case types such as SLPs, appeals and writ petitions continue to exist.

Supreme Court Procedure

Types of Cases Filed in the Supreme Court of India

Updated with the Supreme Court Rules, 2013 and the new case categorization framework effective from 21 April 2025

Overview: Supreme Court matters can be understood in two different ways. A case type identifies the procedural form, such as an SLP, appeal, writ petition, transfer petition or review petition. A case category identifies the subject matter, such as arbitration, criminal law, consumer disputes, service law, taxation or family law. The Supreme Court introduced a new subject-matter categorization framework with effect from 21 April 2025.

1. Arbitration Petition

Arbitration petitions filed directly in the Supreme Court commonly include petitions under Section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 where the Supreme Court has statutory jurisdiction to appoint an arbitrator or take related action.

The 2025 case-category framework separately classifies arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution matters, including Section 11 petitions, interim-measure disputes, challenges to awards and foreign award matters.

2. Civil Appeal

A civil appeal may reach the Supreme Court through a constitutional certificate, after grant of special leave under Article 136, or through a statutory appeal provision.

Common current civil-appeal routes

Route	Provision / source	Current note
Certificate appeal	Articles 132 and 133 of the Constitution	Subject to the constitutional certificate requirements and Supreme Court Rules.
Appeal after grant of special leave	Article 136	The matter becomes a civil appeal after leave is granted.
Consumer appeal	Section 67, Consumer Protection Act, 2019	Current appeal provision from specified National Commission orders; Section 23 of the 1986 Act remains relevant only to legacy matters.
Advocates Act appeal	Section 38, Advocates Act, 1961	Appeal from specified Bar Council of India orders.
Election appeal	Section 116A, Representation of the People Act, 1951	Statutory appeal from specified High Court election decisions.
SEBI appeal	Section 15Z, SEBI Act, 1992	Appeal from Securities Appellate Tribunal on the statutory grounds.
Competition appeal	Section 53T, Competition Act, 2002	Appeal from the Appellate Tribunal/NCLAT as provided by law.
Electricity appeal	Section 125, Electricity Act, 2003	Appeal from the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity on the statutory basis.
NGT appeal	Section 22, National Green Tribunal Act, 2010	Appeal from an award, decision or order of the Tribunal subject to the Act.
Companies Act appeal	Section 423, Companies Act, 2013	Appeal to Supreme Court from NCLAT on a question of law.
Armed Forces Tribunal appeal	Sections 30 and 31, Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007	Special statutory appeal framework.

Legacy statutes: Older Supreme Court classification material may still mention the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, Wealth-tax Act routes, or repealed statutes. Such provisions should be treated as legacy routes where old proceedings survive, not as the ordinary current filing framework.

3. Contempt Petition - Civil

Civil contempt proceedings in the Supreme Court arise under Articles 129 and 142(2) of the Constitution, the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 where applicable, and the Rules to Regulate Proceedings for Contempt of the Supreme Court, 1975.

Civil contempt generally concerns wilful disobedience of a judgment, decree, direction, order, writ or other process of a court, or wilful breach of an undertaking given to a court.

4. Contempt Petition - Criminal

Criminal contempt proceedings concern conduct falling within the statutory definition of criminal contempt and the Supreme Court's constitutional contempt jurisdiction. The procedural source includes the 1975 Supreme Court contempt rules.

5. Criminal Appeal

Criminal appeals may arise under Articles 132 and 134 of the Constitution, after grant of special leave under Article 136, under the Supreme Court (Enlargement of Criminal Appellate Jurisdiction) Act, 1970, or under a special statute.

BNSS update: The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 continues to govern saved proceedings where applicable, but for matters governed by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, the corresponding appeal provisions now include Sections 415 to 421 BNSS. Section 415 deals with appeals from convictions, while Sections 420 and 421 correspond to important High Court conviction and special-right-of-appeal situations.

6. Election Petition

An election petition concerning the election of the President or Vice-President is filed under Part III of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952 read with Article 71 of the Constitution and the applicable Supreme Court Rules.

7. Original Suit under Article 131

Article 131 gives the Supreme Court exclusive original jurisdiction, subject to its constitutional limits, over specified disputes:

Between the Government of India and one or more States.
Between the Government of India and one or more States on one side and one or more other States on the other.
Between two or more States.

The dispute must involve a question on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends.

8. Special Leave Petition - Civil or Criminal

An SLP is filed under Article 136 seeking discretionary special leave to appeal from a judgment, decree, determination, sentence or order of a court or tribunal in India, subject to Article 136(2) and the applicable Supreme Court Rules.

9. Special Reference Case

Special references include references under Article 143 of the Constitution and other references specifically authorised by the Constitution or statute. The President may refer questions of law or fact of public importance under Article 143, and certain constitutional or statutory provisions create other reference jurisdictions.

Older classification material may list references under repealed or amended statutes. Current maintainability must always be checked against the present statute.

10. Transferred Case

A case withdrawn to the Supreme Court under Article 139A(1) becomes a transferred case. After transfer, the Supreme Court may decide the case itself or decide the common substantial question of law and return the matter to the High Court in accordance with Article 139A.

11. Transfer Petition - Civil or Criminal

Transfer petitions may arise under:

Article 139A(1) of the Constitution.
Article 139A(2) of the Constitution.
Section 25 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 for inter-State civil transfers.
Section 446 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 for current criminal transfers.
Section 406 CrPC for saved or legacy criminal proceedings where applicable.

12. Writ Petition - Civil, Criminal and PIL

Article 32 permits a person to move the Supreme Court for enforcement of fundamental rights. Supreme Court writ proceedings may be registered as civil or criminal depending on the nature of the case.

Habeas corpus and preventive-detention matters are treated separately in the Supreme Court's current subject categorization framework. Public Interest Litigation may also be registered where the PIL requirements are satisfied.

13. Review Petition - Civil or Criminal

A Review Petition is filed under Article 137 of the Constitution read with Order XLVII of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013. Review jurisdiction is narrow and is not a second appeal.

14. Curative Petition - Civil or Criminal

A Curative Petition is an exceptional post-review remedy governed by Order XLVIII of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013 and the principles laid down in Rupa Ashok Hurra v. Ashok Hurra.

15. Other proceedings

The Supreme Court may register matters under other constitutional provisions, special statutes, orders of the Court or directions of the Chief Justice. Repealed statutes may also continue to generate legacy proceedings where rights, appeals or pending cases are preserved by savings provisions.

Procedural case type vs 2025 subject category

The Supreme Court's new case categorization framework, effective from 21 April 2025, does not abolish procedural case types such as SLP, appeal, writ petition or transfer petition. Instead, it adds a subject-matter classification used for case management and allocation.

Procedural case type	Examples of 2025 subject categories
SLP / Civil Appeal	Civil law, consumer and RERA, service law, direct taxation, indirect taxation, family law, land acquisition, arbitration, banking and others.
SLP / Criminal Appeal	Offences against women or children, NDPS, money laundering, bail, quashing, acquittal, sentence categories and other criminal matters.
Writ Petition	Habeas corpus, preventive detention, constitutional challenges, citizenship, public law and subject-specific PIL categories.
Transfer Petition	Category 47, including Article 139A, Section 25 CPC and Section 406 CrPC / Section 446 BNSS.

Examples from the 2025 Supreme Court case categories

The current framework includes subject categories for arbitration, armed forces, banking, bar and professional bodies, civil law, company law, compensation, competition, consumer disputes and RERA, contempt, criminal law, direct taxation, family law, habeas corpus and preventive detention, housing and municipal law, telecom, tenders, transfer petitions and other matters.

The official framework should be checked where precise category codes or subcategories are needed for filing and case management.

Official Supreme Court resources

Supreme Court - Current Case Categories

New Case Categorization Framework for the Supreme Court of India - 2025

Supreme Court Rules, 2013 and amendments

Supreme Court Forms and Filing Checklists

This article is a general classification guide. The exact registration type, subject category, statutory provision and filing requirements depend on the current Supreme Court Rules, Registry directions, case-category framework and the law governing the proceeding.