INSC neutral citations explained
What a neutral citation like 2023 INSC 123 means and how to look one up.
Updated October 2026
Since 2023 the Supreme Court of India has assigned a neutral citation to its judgments. It is independent of any private law report, so a judgment can be cited the moment it is delivered and found by anyone.
How to read one
A neutral citation looks like 2023 INSC 123:
- 2023 is the year of the judgment.
- INSC identifies the Supreme Court of India.
- 123 is the running number of the judgment in that year.
Why it helps
- It is the same everywhere, regardless of which report reproduces the judgment.
- It is short and easy to check, which makes it a good guard against invented citations: a made-up number will not resolve to the case named.
- It is usually cited alongside the traditional reporter citation (SCC, AIR, SCR) in older and mixed contexts.
Looking one up
You can search the official Supreme Court of India website, or ask an assistant connected to Pledr: "Find 2023 INSC 123." Pledr returns the matching judgment with its citation and a link to the official copy, and you can also search by case name, section or scenario.
Always confirm the number resolves to the case you expect. Pledr is a research aid and not legal advice.
Related guides
Quick answers
What does INSC mean in a citation?
INSC identifies the Supreme Court of India in its neutral citation format, for example 2023 INSC 123: year, court code, running judgment number.
When did neutral citations start?
The Supreme Court of India began assigning neutral citations to its judgments in 2023.