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Case Search

Search by Keyword

Free

Use keywords, party names, and section numbers to find relevant Indian case law.

Try it now

60-second version

  • Type keywords in the search box on the homepage or on the Cases search page.
  • The search form sends your query to /cases/router1 and shows matching judgments ranked by relevance.
  • Click any result to read the full judgment; use filters to refine further.

In one sentence

Search SooperKanoon by typing keywords related to your legal question and browse ranked judgment results instantly - free and without login.

Before you start

Free for everyone - no account needed. Keyword search covers over a million judgments from the Supreme Court, High Courts, tribunals, and Privy Council. Works best with specific terms: legal concepts, act names, party names, or phrases from a known case.

Steps

  1. Go to sooperkanoon.com or directly to Cases Search.
  2. Click inside the search box labelled "Search judgments" (homepage) or the search field on the cases page.
  3. Enter your keywords - examples: breach of contract, Section 138 NI Act, Aruna Shanbaug.
  4. Press Enter or click the search button.
  5. Review the results count at the top (e.g. "Showing results for …").
  6. Read the excerpt under each case title - your search words appear highlighted.
  7. Click a case name to open the full judgment page.
  8. To search again, edit the search box at the top of the results page and submit a new query.

What you'll see

A results page listing matching judgments with case titles, court names, decision dates, and short text excerpts. A sidebar on the left offers Court and Year filters populated from your result set. Pagination at the bottom lets you move through additional pages of results.

Common mistakes

  • Using very short or generic words alone (e.g. "law", "order") - add context words for sharper results.
  • Pasting an entire paragraph - shorter, focused phrases usually work better.
  • Expecting exact phrase matching by default - if you need precise filters, try Advanced Search.

Tips

  • Combine an act reference with a topic: Section 420 IPC cheating finds cases on cheating under that section.
  • After your first search, use the Court filter to see only Supreme Court or a specific High Court's view.
  • Know a citation instead of keywords? Switch to Citation Search for AIR, SCC, or SCR lookups.

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