How to Check AFT Case Status by Case Number, OA & Name (2026)
AFT Case Status, Cause List 2026 & Daily Order PDF
Official online guide for Delhi, Lucknow & all benches of the Armed Forces Tribunal.
Serving personnel, ex-servicemen, and family pensioners of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force bring their military legal disputes before the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT). A tribunal is a specialized court created by Parliament to decide specific disputes faster than regular civil courts. Under the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007, the AFT sits at one Principal Bench in New Delhi and ten Regional Benches across India: Lucknow, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi, Jaipur, Guwahati, Jabalpur, and Jammu (covering Srinagar).
Every working day, veterans and military widows look up online their AFT case status, hearing dates, AFT cause list 2026 schedules, daily order PDF files, and final judgments. However, many searches fail because AFT cases are stored on an independent Ministry of Defence server (aft.gov.in and aftdelhi.nic.in) and never appear on the civil eCourts app or the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).
To check an AFT matter online, the petitioner must open the official AFT website, choose the exact bench where the petition was filed, and run the query using the Original Application (OA) number, Diary Number, or party name.
The petitioner (also called the applicant) is the soldier, veteran, or family pensioner who filed the case.
Bench-wise guides: AFT Delhi case status, AFT Lucknow case status and AFT Kolkata case status.
Case Background and Facts: How the AFT Record System Works
Parliament enacted the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007 on 25 December 2007 to decide military service matters (disputes regarding commission, appointments, enrolment, promotions, pay, and pensions) and appeals from courts-martial (military trials held under the Army Act, 1950, the Navy Act, 1957, and the Air Force Act, 1950). According to the Ministry of Defence Press Information Bureau (PIB) notification, the AFT Delhi Principal Bench opened on 10 August 2009 at West Block-VIII, Sector-I, R.K. Puram, New Delhi – 110066, as confirmed by the Armed Forces Tribunal Principal Bench Bar Association. The AFT Lucknow (AFT LKO) Regional Bench opened on 9 November 2009, and the Mumbai Regional Bench on 9 June 2011.
When an applicant files a petition against the respondent (the authority defending the case, usually the Union of India through the Ministry of Defence, Service Headquarters, and PCDA (Pensions) Prayagraj or the Directorate of Air Veterans), the file passes through three stages under the Armed Forces Tribunal (Procedure) Rules, 2008:
- Diary Number Assignment: At filing, the registry assigns a temporary Diary Number and year while staff scrutinize the papers for defects.
- OA / Case Number Registration: Once defects are cleared, the registry allots a permanent Case Number and Case Type, usually an OA (Original Application) number with the registration year (such as OA 120/2026).
- Cause List, Daily Orders, and Judgment: Before each hearing, the registry uploads a cause list (the daily schedule of cases listed in each courtroom). After the hearing, the bench records a daily order (the short written direction from that hearing) and later pronounces a final judgment (the final decision closing the case).
What Is the Main Issue When Searching AFT Case Status Online?
In simple terms, AFT case numbers carry no city code, and records sit across eleven separate bench databases. As noted in CLAW LegalTech's AFT case search guide, three common issues cause failed searches:
Wrong bench selected
An OA number like OA 350/2025 can exist at both the AFT Delhi Principal Bench and the AFT Lucknow Regional Bench. Leaving the aft.gov.in dropdown on Delhi when looking up a Lucknow case returns either no record or another person's file.
Rank prefixes in name searches
When checking AFT Delhi case status by name, registry staff often abbreviate ranks (Ex Sep, Hav, Nb Sub, Sub Maj) or omit them. Typing a full rank like Ex Havildar causes mismatches.
Relying only on a status label
Seeing Pending or Disposed does not reveal deadlines to file a reply affidavit (a sworn written statement) unless you open the daily order PDF.
How the Official AFT Portal Works: Step-by-Step Guide
The official AFT portal (aft.gov.in and aftdelhi.nic.in) provides four free public tools.
| Portal Section | What It Shows | When to Check It |
|---|---|---|
| Case Status | Stage (Pending, For Orders, Disposed), last hearing date, and next hearing date. | To check progress by OA number, case number, diary number, or party name. |
| Daily Cause List (PDF) | The daily List of Business with Court No., serial number (S.No.), case number, and parties. | On the evening before your hearing to confirm your courtroom and item number. |
| Daily Order (PDF) | Written directions recorded by the judges after a specific hearing date. | After a hearing date to check compliance directions or adjournments. |
| Final Judgment (PDF) | The reasoned final decision stating whether the claim is allowed (accepted) or dismissed (rejected). | Once the case status changes to Disposed Of. |
1. Checking AFT Case Status by Case Number, OA, Diary Number, or Name
To check AFT Delhi case status, AFT Lucknow case status, or any regional bench matter:
- Open the Official Portal: Visit aft.gov.in and open Case Status, or use aftdelhi.nic.in for Principal Bench records.
- Choose Your Bench: Pick Principal Bench (Delhi), Lucknow Bench, Mumbai Regional Bench, or Kolkata Regional Bench.
- Enter Your Details: For Case Number / OA Number, choose Case Type (OA, MA, RA, TA, or CA), enter the number, and pick the year. For Party Name (aft delhi case status by name), pick Petitioner or Respondent name, choose the year, and enter only your core name or surname without rank prefixes. For Diary Number, enter your diary number and filing year.
- Complete CAPTCHA and Submit: Enter the security code and submit to view your status and order links.
2. Downloading the AFT Cause List 2026 PDF, Daily Orders, and Judgments
Per the official AFT Daily Cause List PDF (29-05-2026), courtroom sittings run from 10:30 AM to 01:00 PM and 02:00 PM to 04:30 PM. To check the AFT Delhi cause list 2026 or AFT Lucknow cause list, open the Cause List tab on aft.gov.in, choose your bench, courtroom, and date, and download the PDF.
To download an AFT Lucknow daily order PDF or AFT Delhi daily orders, click the hearing date link inside your Case Status result or use the Daily Orders date-range page (aft.gov.in/casestatus/daterange per CLAW's AFT portal guide). For final decisions, open the Judgments tab on aft.gov.in to look up AFT Delhi judgement or AFT Lucknow judgments by case number, party name, judge, or subject.
Bench Jurisdiction & Important Legal Terms
Under the Ministry of Defence PIB jurisdiction table, AFT Principal Bench, New Delhi (aft delhi) covers Delhi matters and transfer petitions (AT), while AFT Mumbai (aft mumbai) covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Goa. For AFT Lucknow (aft lucknow / aft lko), the 2014 PIB table listed Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, but the creation of the Jabalpur Bench shifted Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to Jabalpur; Lucknow currently covers Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with older files remaining in historical records.
OA (Original Application)
A main petition under Section 14 of the AFT Act, 2007 for claims like disability pension (pension for service-linked medical disability) or family pension (pension for a deceased soldier's widow or dependent).
MA, RA & TA
MA covers interim or execution (MA (E)) requests; RA seeks review of an order; TA denotes a transferred High Court writ.
Adjourned, Reserved & Disposed Of
Adjourned means postponed; Reserved means judgment is awaited; Disposed Of means the case is closed. Read the judgment PDF to verify if the claim was allowed (granting relief and arrears, meaning back-pension) or dismissed, or if an order was quashed / set aside (cancelled).
Even after an OA is allowed, respondents usually receive three to four months to issue a Pension Payment Order (PPO); if delayed, the applicant can file an Execution MA. Within the statutory limitation (time limit), parties may appeal to the Supreme Court under Sections 30 and 31 of the AFT Act, 2007 with leave to appeal (formal permission), or file a High Court writ petition under Article 226 per the Supreme Court's 21 March 2023 judgment in Union of India vs. Parashotam Dass (Supreme Court Judgment PDF). Always use aft.gov.in (never eCourts), pick your bench first, use Diary Numbers under Rule 4 & Rule 6 of the AFT (Procedure) Rules, 2008 for new filings, and read the full PDF order.
