Are you a legal professional who finds it hard to find landmark judgments to support your argument? Well, you are not alone. Legal research is a tedious task, and analysing judgments and orders can be more confusing than one thinks. So the question arises, how to find relevant case law in India? Where to start? Which websites to surf? Are there any Free Case Law Search Engine options as well? This blog by Lawgical Shots seeks to address a common problem of finding relevant case laws in India.
Judgment Search on Court Websites
The most convenient and reliable source of judgments and orders passed by the Courts are the Court websites itself. Some people think that for online search on Court websites, they will need all the accurate details related to particular cases. However, that is not really required. Knowing the party names/ Bench details/ date of judgment or order (even a specific range of dates works)/ Case Number (If you may have come across the case type and number). If none of these are available, free text search feature is also available on several Court websites. Adding the specific keywords may help finding relevant case law that you have been searching for.
Online judgments free download, is not that tricky task anymore. Visit the specific Court website and search for the tab that reads “orders/judgments”. Find Supreme Court judgments online on the official website if you have one of these details – diary number/ case number/ party names/ name of Judges/ date on which judgment was delivered/ search by free text.
Paid Tools – AIR, SCC Online, Manupatra
So many people have this query – How to find relevant case law in India if the Court websites are tedious to use? Well, there have been other players who have been there. Some private players have been keeping track of relevant judgments of Indian Courts since decades, even when online judgments were not even available. They evolved the legal research with online search engines. Tools like SCC Online, Manupatra, and AIROnline,etc. are paid, which means you have to buy subscriptions to use them. Even if you are searching for specific arguments and don’t know case details, these tools allow you to search for relevant case laws in India.
The algorithm of these tools are different, and which legal research tool proves more convenient depends upon individual experience. Some people find SCC Online more easy to use, and others find Manupatra to be efficient with complex legal research. There are several other tools as well which assist legal research. Moreover, Artificial Intelligence is the new Google and there are advancements where AI legal research tools are in the market. Some of the AI legal research tools are free, others are paid. However, if you wish to know how to find relevant case law in India with AI tools, the best way is to cross-check everything you find. Do not rely on AI results unless you are sure that what it states is correct, through the original judgment/order copies.
Legal News Portals – Live Law, Bar & Bench
In recent years, what happens in the Courts is already known to the world within a few minutes. The reason for quick service are emerging legal news portals who keep their audience updated with arguments, let alone the judgments and orders. The major and well-known names in this field are Live Law and Bar & Bench. There would hardly be any Legal Professional in India who may be unaware of these two websites/applications.
Some of these legal news portals offer subscriptions in a way that they notify what’s new in a particular judgment/order, and the same is available in public for a few hours. After the said time period, you can neither access the full news report, nor the copy of judgment/order attached to it. Those having subscriptions can track the news reports and access the relevant case law during legal research. Some people find this more convenient, while others lack reliance after finding several news reports flawed or misinformed.
Free Case Law Search Engine – Indian Kanoon
Those who search “How to find relevant case law in India?”, whenever they search for a case title on Google, they mostly come across a website – indiankanoon.org. This is a free search engine for judgment searches. This is claimed to be the most convenient source to find relevant case laws to support your arguments being a legal professional, free of cost.
Need Help on How to find Relevant Case Law in India
Advocates are Super Humans. They have to take care of a lot of things – understanding of laws, client meetings, people skills, drafting, preparing arguments, strategy for each case. While doing all of this, things take a lot of hours. Legal Research in itself is a time consuming process. More so when you have to read plenty of cases to understand and filter out the ones aligning with your arguments. Why? Because one line in the authority going against your argument and your client ends up losing. Nobody wants that.
We at Lawgical Shots can help you save time and focus upon other important aspects, while we search for relevant case laws for you. If you need help with finding landmark cases on specific legal questions, we are here to help. All you need to do is send an email at lawgicalshots@gmail.com while explaining your specific requirements. You may directly connect on WhatsApp at 9971999701. Tell us about the requirements, pay a minimal fee, and you will get what you want.
