Guide

How to get a certified copy from a district court

A certified copy is a copy of a court record that the court itself attests as genuine. You need one to file an appeal, start execution, or produce a court order before any other authority — a plain photocopy will be refused.

What a copying agency is

Every district court complex has a copying agency — often signposted as the nakal shakha. It is a counter, usually in or near the record room, whose only job is issuing certified copies. It is not the filing counter and not the ahlmad's room, and being sent between the three is the most common way a first visit gets wasted.

Ask specifically for the copying agency. If a matter is still being heard, the file sits with the ahlmad of that court and the agency has to requisition it, which adds days.

Step 1 — Have your case details ready

You need the case number and year, the name of the court and presiding officer, and the names of the parties. If you have any earlier order in the matter, take it with you — every one of these details is printed on it.

If you have none of that, look the case up on the eCourts portal first and note the CNR number.

Step 2 — Fill the application

The form is sold at the counter or a nearby stationery shop for a few rupees. Fill in the case details and, crucially, describe exactly which document you want.

“Certified copy of order dated 14.03.2025 passed by Sh. — , Civil Judge” gets you what you need. “Case file ki copy” gets you either a query or the entire record at ten times the fee. Be specific, and give the date of the order if you know it.

You also state who you are in the matter. A party to the case can apply as of right. A stranger to the case can also apply in most courts, but may need to state a reason and, occasionally, get permission.

Step 3 — Pay the court fee

Two components, and states vary: a fixed application fee, and a per-page copying charge. In most northern states you buy court fee stamps from a licensed vendor outside the complex and affix them to the form. Some courts now accept e-stamping or cash at the counter.

For a short order this usually lands between ₹50 and ₹300. A full case file runs to thousands, because it is priced per page. Detailed breakdown here.

Step 4 — Keep the receipt

You are given an acknowledgement slip with an application number and a date to return. Do not lose it. Collecting without it is possible but slow. Photograph it before you leave the counter.

Step 5 — Return and collect

Come back on the stated date. Realistically, budget a second and sometimes a third visit — copies are frequently not ready on the first date given, particularly if the file had to be called from the record room.

Check the copy before you leave: every page present, the attestation stamp and the copying clerk's signature there, and the date of issue legible. An unattested page is not a certified copy and will be rejected wherever you file it.

What usually goes wrong

• Wrong case number. The single biggest cause of a rejected application. Verify it against an existing order or eCourts, not from memory.
• File not traceable. Older matters get sent to the record room and sometimes take weeks to surface. This is not refusal; it is delay.
• Decree not drawn up. You cannot get a certified copy of a decree that was never prepared. It has to be drawn up first, which is a separate application.
• Asking too vaguely. Describe the document by date and type.
• Missing the limitation clock. The time taken to obtain a certified copy is generally excluded when computing limitation for an appeal — which is exactly why you should apply immediately after an adverse order, and keep the receipt as proof of when you applied.

Doing it without going yourself

Everything above assumes two or three trips to the court complex on working days. If that is not practical, MyCaseFile does it for you: we file the application, follow it up at the counter, collect the copy and courier it to you, with a scan on WhatsApp the day it is issued. Flat ₹899 plus the actual court fee, and nothing at all if we cannot get it.