How to Check CAT Case Status Online: A Complete Guide for Government Employees

Introduction

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) handles service-related disputes for central government employees across India. Whether a case involves a transfer, a disciplinary matter, a promotion dispute, or a pension grievance, tracking the progress of that case, knowing the next hearing date, whether an order has been passed, or what the current status is, is something every applicant and their family needs to do regularly. This guide explains how to check CAT case status using the official government portal and the eCourts India platform, what search methods are available, what each status label means, and what to do if a case is not appearing in the results.

What Is the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT)?

The Central Administrative Tribunal was established under the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985, as a specialised quasi-judicial body to adjudicate service disputes of central government employees. Its constitutional basis is Article 323-A of the Constitution of India, which authorises Parliament to create tribunals for adjudicating disputes relating to the recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed to public services and posts. Before CAT was created, government employees had to approach High Courts for service-related grievances. CAT was established to provide a dedicated, faster, and less expensive forum for these disputes.

Key Facts About CAT

Who Can File a Case Before CAT?

CAT has jurisdiction over:

• Central Government employees, all ministries, departments, and attached offices
• All India Services officers, IAS, IPS, and IFS officers
• Employees of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and autonomous bodies that have been specifically notified under the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985
• Civilian employees of the Defence establishment (not armed forces personnel, who have separate forums)
• Retired central government employees in matters arising from their service

CAT does not have jurisdiction over:

• State government employees (unless the state has notified CAT under Section 14 of the Administrative Tribunals Act, very few states have done this)
• Defence services personnel (army, navy, air force personnel have the Armed Forces Tribunal)
• Employees of state PSUs not specifically notified under the Act
• Members of the Secretariat staff of Parliament

The 19 Benches of CAT

CAT has a Principal Bench in New Delhi and 18 additional benches across India. The table below lists all benches with their official codes as used on the CGat portal.

Method 1: Checking CAT Case Status on the Official CGat Portal

The primary official source for CAT case status is the government portal maintained by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) on behalf of the Central Administrative Tribunal. Official portal URL:CAT Case Status Portal

Step-by-Step Process

1. Open the portal. Navigate to cis.cgat.gov.in/catlive/case_status.php in a browser. The page works on both desktop and mobile.
2. Select the bench first. This is mandatory. The portal does not display results without a bench selection. Use the "Select Bench" menu at the top of the page and choose the bench where the case was filed. If the bench is unknown, see the section below on how to find it.
3. Choose the search method. The portal offers four search modes:
   • Case Number, search by the OA/MA/RA/CP number and year
   • Diary Number, search by the diary number assigned at filing
   • Party Name, search by the applicant's name or the respondent name
   • Advocate Name, search by the name of the appearing advocate
4. Enter the search details. For case number: select the case type (Original Application, Misc Application, Review Application, Contempt Petition, Transfer Application, Petition for Transfer, or OA Obj), enter the case number, and enter the year of filing.
5. Submit and read the result. The result displays: case number, parties, case type, next hearing date, last order date, and current case status.

Case Types on the CAT Portal

Method 2: Checking CAT Case Status on eCourts India

Since July 2026, all 19 CAT benches have been integrated into the eCourts India platform, making it possible to search CAT cases alongside Supreme Court, High Court, and district court matters on a single platform. eCourts India portal:eCourts India (search for "CAT" under tribunals)

What eCourts India Offers for CAT

• Search across all 19 benches simultaneously, no need to select a bench before searching
• Search by party name, CNR number, or free text
• Access case history and orders where uploaded by the CAT registry
• Use the litigant search to find all cases linked to one individual across all courts and tribunals

Understanding the CAT CNR (Case Number Record)

Every CAT case on eCourts India carries a 16-character CNR (Case Number Record) that does not change even if the case is transferred or renumbered. The CNR begins with the bench and register code:

The pattern continues similarly for all other benches. Once a CNR is known, it is the most reliable search input, it returns an exact match regardless of name spelling variations.

Method 3: Checking the CAT Daily Cause List

The cause list shows all cases scheduled for hearing on a specific date. It is useful for knowing whether a case is listed tomorrow, which court room, and at what time. Cause list URL:CAT Cause List Steps:

1. Select the bench
2. Select the date (today or a future date)
3. Download or view the PDF cause list

The cause list is typically uploaded by the registry on the evening before the hearing date or early on the day of the hearing.

Method 4: Checking Oral and Final Orders

When a CAT bench passes an oral order (a direction during a hearing) or a final order (the substantive decision on the OA), those orders are uploaded to the portal. Orders portal:CAT Final Orders This section is useful when a case has been disposed of and the applicant needs to read the order text, or when an applicant wants to know whether an interim stay order has been passed and what its terms are. For judgments and reasoned orders, the dedicated CGAT Judgments portal maintained by NIC is available at:CAT Judgements Portal

What Each Case Status Label Means

When the case status is retrieved from the portal, it will show one of several status labels. Here is what each means in plain language:

How to Find the Right Bench If Unknown

If the bench where the case was filed is not known, try these approaches:

1. Check the original filing receipt. The receipt issued by the CAT registry at the time of filing will show the bench name and the diary number.
2. Check the OA number prefix. OA numbers assigned by different benches sometimes carry a bench-specific identifier in the filing system.
3. Use the eCourts India national search. Searching by party name without a bench filter on eCourts India will search across all tribunals and courts simultaneously. If the case is indexed, it will appear with its bench identified.
4. Search by advocate name. If the advocate who filed the case is known, the advocate name search on the CGat portal will show all matters where that advocate is on record.
5. Contact the nearest CAT registry. The registry office at any bench can assist in locating a case filed at that bench if the party name and approximate year of filing are provided.

How to Find Hearing Dates When the Case Is Not Showing

If a case does not appear in the search results, the most common reasons are:

• Wrong bench selected, the most frequent cause. The case may be at a different bench than expected.
• Spelling variation in party name, government records often contain name variants or initials. Try shorter name strings or the department name as respondent.
• Case not yet indexed, newly filed cases may take a few days to appear in the online system.
• Disposed cases archived, older disposed cases may have been moved to archival records not visible in the live portal. Use the CGAT judgments portal at catjudgements.nic.in to search older orders.
• Transfer to another bench, the case may have been transferred. Search by party name across benches.

Downloading CAT Orders and Judgments

Orders passed by CAT in individual cases are available for download from two sources:

1. CGat portal orders section: cis.cgat.gov.in/catlive/final_order.php, daily orders uploaded by each bench's registry.
2. CGAT Judgments portal: catjudgements.nic.in, searchable archive of reasoned orders and judgments. Search by party name, case number, or bench.

Both portals are public and free. No login or registration is required to access orders.

How to File a New Case Before CAT: Overview

While the detailed procedure for filing is beyond the scope of this article, the key points for government employees considering filing a case are:

• The case is filed as an Original Application (OA) before the bench having jurisdiction over the place of posting of the applicant (or the place where the impugned order was passed).
• The court fee is ₹50 per OA, payable by Indian Postal Order (IPO) addressed to the Registrar of the relevant bench.
• The OA must be accompanied by a Statement of Facts, the impugned order, and supporting documents.
• There is no mandatory lawyer requirement, an applicant may appear in person before CAT. However, most applicants engage an advocate for assistance with drafting and representation.
• The limitation period for filing an OA is generally one year from the date of the impugned order, though condonation of delay can be sought.

Online filing: CAT has an online filing facility accessible through the internal user login at the CGat portal. Consult the registry or an advocate for guidance on the online filing process.

How to Appeal a CAT Order

If a party is dissatisfied with the final order passed by CAT, the available remedies are:

1. Review Application (RA) in CAT itself: A party can apply to the same bench to review its order, typically within 30 days of the original order. Review is available on limited grounds (error apparent on the face of the record).
2. Writ Petition in the High Court: This route is no longer available for CAT orders. Under the original scheme of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985, appeals against CAT orders went to the High Court. However, the Supreme Court in L Chandra Kumar v. Union of India [(1997) 3 SCC 261] held that the statutory bar on High Court jurisdiction was unconstitutional, restoring the High Court's power under Article 226 to review CAT orders. However, in practice, the established route is now:
3. Appeal to the High Court under Article 226/227: Following L Chandra Kumar, aggrieved parties typically challenge CAT orders before the jurisdictional High Court by filing a writ petition. This is now the standard appeal route.
4. Special Leave Petition (SLP) to the Supreme Court under Article 136: Available against any order, including a High Court's order on a CAT matter.

Important: The appeal route is a matter of legal strategy. Whether to file a Review Application first, go directly to the High Court, or approach the Supreme Court depends on the nature of the order, urgency, and the specific legal question involved. Consult a qualified advocate before deciding.

Frequently Asked Questions

CAT Benches and Jurisdiction

CAT currently lists 19 regular benches. Bench jurisdiction is important when checking case status because the official case-status form requires the relevant bench to be selected. Jurisdiction and circuit-bench arrangements can change, so use the official CAT jurisdiction page when you need the current bench allocation.

For the exact district-by-district jurisdiction and any later changes, verify the official CAT jurisdiction page before relying on this table.

References

The following official sources and statutory provisions were consulted in preparing this article:

1. Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985 (Act No. 13 of 1985), Government of India, available atIndia Code
2. Central Administrative Tribunal, Official portal, National Informatics Centre,Central Administrative Tribunal
3. CAT Case Status portal,CAT Case Status Portal
4. CAT Judgments portal,CAT Judgements Portal
5. eCourts India tribunal search,eCourts India
6. National Government Services Portal, Cause List,National Government Services Portal
7. Constitution of India, Article 323-A, Administrative Tribunals
8. L Chandra Kumar v. Union of India, (1997) 3 SCC 261, Supreme Court of India (on the appeal route from CAT orders)
9. S.P. Sampath Kumar v. Union of India, AIR 1987 SC 386, Supreme Court of India (on validity of the Administrative Tribunals Act)
10. Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel & Training, DoPT guidelines on service matters,Department of Personnel & Training

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about the process of checking case status at the Central Administrative Tribunal and about CAT's jurisdiction, procedure, and appeal routes. It does not constitute legal advice and does not create an advocate-client relationship. The law described in this article is based on publicly available information and reflects the position as understood at the time of publication. Readers should verify the current status of the law and portal features directly from official government sources. Court portals, procedures, and contact details may change; always confirm current information from the official CAT website atCentral Administrative Tribunal. If you have a pending matter before CAT or are considering filing an Original Application, consult a qualified advocate enrolled with the Bar Council of India for advice specific to your situation. Free legal aid is available through the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and State Legal Services Authorities (SLSAs) for those who qualify, seeNALSA for eligibility criteria.