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·26 Oct 2026 · 9 min read
BOOKLETSPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (CIVIL)
SLP (Civil): synopsis, dates and questions of law
The ten parts of a Special Leave Petition (Civil) in the order the paper book is built, with what the Supreme Court Rules, 2013 require at each step and the points that are easiest to miss.
Adv. Gauri Kaushik
Co-founder · Legal · Supreme Court of India
A booklet is a court-specific reference for one filing, from first page to last.
Before you draft
- Limitation. An SLP is to be filed within 90 days of the judgment or order, or within 60 days of an order refusing a certificate. Sections 4, 5, 12 and 14 of the Limitation Act, 1963 apply, so a delay can be explained, but it needs its own application (Order XXI, Rule 1).
- An earlier SLP against the same order. The petition must say whether one was filed. Hiding a dismissed SLP is a ground to dismiss or revoke the later one (Order XXI, Rule 3).
- Other remedies. The petition must state whether a letters patent appeal or a writ appeal lies against the order and whether it was availed.
- Who contested below. Give the full names and addresses of the parties who contested before the court or tribunal, and say whether the matter was contested.
The ten parts, in order
Order XXI, Rule 3 sets the order of the papers: the list of dates first, then the certified copy of the impugned judgment, then the petition in Form No. 28, then the appendix and the annexures. The parts below follow that order.
| # | PART | WHAT IT MUST DO |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Synopsis & list of dates | A short account of the case and a chronology with a line on why each date matters. The Court has pushed back on long, argumentative synopses. |
| 2 | Special Leave Petition | In Form No. 28. Interim relief is prayed for inside it; no separate application is needed. |
| 3 | Questions of law | The precise questions on which leave is sought, stated as questions and not as complaints about the result. |
| 4 | Grounds | Confined to what was before the court below. A new ground needs notice to the respondent and the Court’s leave. |
| 5 | Prayer | Leave to appeal, and the relief sought if leave is granted. |
| 6 | Interim relief | Stay or other interim prayer, framed within the petition itself. |
| 7 | Affidavit | Verifying the facts and the dates stated in the petition and the list of dates. |
| 8 | Annexures P-1 to P-n | Numbered, in chronological order, with their own index and page numbers. Certified copies of record documents; an uncertified copy only with an affidavit that it is a true copy. |
| 9 | Appendix of provisions | English versions of the constitutional and statutory provisions referred to in the impugned judgment. |
| 10 | Vakalatnama & memo of appearance | The Advocate-on-Record’s appearance papers, filed with the petition. |
Where petitions are most often delayed
- A delay in filing with no application to condone it. See the note on condonation of delay.
- Annexures that are not in the record of the court below. These need a separate application seeking permission (Order XXI, Rule 3).
- A document in a language other than English with no acceptable translation. See Order VIII, Rule 2 and our note on translating an FIR.
- A list of dates that stops being a chronology and turns into argument.
After leave is granted
Once leave is granted, the SLP is treated as the appeal petition and registered as an appeal. Additional court fee may be payable. A respondent served earlier, or who filed a caveat, need not be served again (Order XXI, Rule 11).
Check before you file
- Limitation worked out from the date of judgment, with an application if you are late
- Form No. 28 used; interim prayer inside it
- Statement on earlier SLPs against the same order, with affidavit
- List of dates is a chronology, each date tied to the record
- Questions of law are written as questions
- Annexures numbered P-1 onward, indexed, paginated and certified
- English versions of the provisions in the appendix
- Caveat position checked; if none, expect the petition to be heard ex parte
SOURCES
This is practice guidance for advocates, not legal advice. Rules and notices change: check the current rule or notice of the court before you file.