Neutral citations (INSC) explained
What a citation like 2023 INSC 1 means, which judgments carry one and how to cite it.
By LawyerInsight team · Published 2026-10-27 · 2 min read
A neutral citation is a number the Court itself assigns to a judgment or order, so it can be cited without depending on a law report's page numbers. The Supreme Court introduced the system in phases from 2023.
How to read one
A citation such as 2023 INSC 1 has three parts:
- the year of pronouncement (2023),
- INSC, short for India Supreme Court,
- the running number of the judgment or order within that year.
Which documents have one
The Court announced that judgments and orders pronounced in the covered periods are assigned a neutral citation, with the first phase covering decisions from 1 January 2014 onward. Whether a particular older order carries one is something to confirm on the document itself. If it has none, cite it by case number and date.
Citing well
- Give the case name, then the neutral citation, then the date.
- Where a law report citation also exists, give both.
- Read the first page of the official copy to confirm the number rather than copying it from a summary.
The assistant in LawyerInsight shows the source for each statement so you can open the judgment and check the citation yourself.
Sources
LawyerInsight is a research aid, not legal advice. Check any citation before relying on it.
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