V 1.01 · BetaUnder development

Verify anything critical at the counter before you rely on it.

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F

At the counter

Physical / Counter Filing

Get your file accepted at the counter in one visit and walk away with an FR number.

High Court of Karnataka — Principal Bench · Attara Kacheri

Applies to

Writ Petition (WP)Regular First Appeal (RFA)Regular Second Appeal (RSA)Miscellaneous Second Appeal (MSA)CaveatsFresh civil filings

Best counter window

First half of the day — 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Best before 11:30 AM.

Avoid

The first working day after a long weekend — queues are at their worst and scrutiny slows down behind them.

Step 1 of 8

In progress

  1. Finish paperwork at the Service Block

    PracticeIn progress
    • Typing, notary seals and photocopies all happen at the stalls along the parking approach — BEFORE you join any queue.
    • Get the verifying affidavit attested by a notary.
    • Faint or handwritten annexures: get a clean typed copy made, stamp each page 'True Copy' and sign it.
    • Kannada documents: attach the English translation with a signed 'True Translation' endorsement.

    Carry with you

    Draft fileDocuments needing notary or typing
    Where to goParking & Service BlockApproach & Outer Wall

    Done when

    Every affidavit is attested and every annexure is readable, endorsed and in English or translated.

    Verified on site · 10 Sept 2026

  2. Buy and paste the stamps

    Rule

    Has a destination · 3 payments

    • E-Stamp Counter and Co-operative Society are around the bend of the outer counter wall; the Advocates' Association counters also sell Welfare Fund stamps.
    • Vakalatnama: ₹50 total in Advocate Welfare Fund stamps (₹30 + ₹20).
    • Every IA: one ₹20 stamp. Count your IAs, then count your stamps.
    • Vakalatnama — AWF stamp₹30
    • Vakalatnama — AWF stamp₹20
    • Per Interlocutory Application · Multiply by number of IAs₹20
    Where to goCounter Wall — Left Bend (Co-op, E-Stamp, Copying Counter 4)Approach & Outer Wall

    Done when

    ₹50 sits on the Vakalatnama and every IA carries its ₹20 stamp.

    Verified on site · 10 Sept 2026

  3. Serve the Government first (if it is a party)

    Rule

    Has a destination · 2 to carry

    • Applies whenever the State, police, a government officer or a statutory body is a respondent.
    • Civil matters: serve the Advocate General / High Court Government Pleader (HCGP).
    • Criminal matters: serve the State Public Prosecutor (SPP).
    • Hand over one full extra copy set. The clerk stamps a service seal onto your MAIN file.
    • Do this BEFORE the filing queue. It cannot be done afterwards.

    Do not skip

    No service seal = the counter can reject the file outright, or scrutiny objects days later. Check the seal shows date, time, clerk's signature and office stamp.

    Carry with you

    1 complete extra copy setMain court file (to receive the seal)
    Where to goAdvance Service Counter (AG / HCGP / SPP)Ground Floor

    Done when

    The service seal — date, time, signature, office stamp — is on your main file's index page or its back.

    Verified on site · 10 Sept 2026

  4. Put the file in order and stitch it

    Rule

    4 to carry

    • Follow the file order exactly — the counter checks sequence before content.
    • Index in front with no page number; PAGE 1 is the List of Dates.
    • Number every page in one unbroken run, top-right corner.
    • Punch two holes top-left and bind with green filing thread. No loose staples — loose papers are rejected on the spot.
    • Present the file in a LACE-BASED WRAPPER — mandatory w.e.f. 15-09-2026.
    • Vakalathnama, Title Page, Order Sheet and every prescribed form must be on durable white paper, metric A4.
    • The Presentation Form goes over the wrapper.

    Carry with you

    Complete printed setGreen filing thread / ribbonLace-based wrapperPresentation Form

    Done when

    Index → List of Dates → Petition → Affidavit → Annexures → IAs → Vakalatnama, numbered continuously, stitched tight, inside a lace-based wrapper with the Presentation Form on it.

    Verified on site · 22 Sept 2026

  5. Size the volume and tape the edges

    Practice

    2 to carry

    • A wrapper takes about 250 pages. Up to roughly 300 still goes into a single wrapper.
    • Past that, the next set of papers goes as VOLUME 2 in its own wrapper.
    • Tape the edge of the first and the last page — they are the two that tear.
    • At compliance, tape the outer edge of the whole volume before it goes into the wrapper. It holds the volume clean and stops pages tearing out at the counter.

    Carry with you

    Cellophane / filing tapeSecond wrapper if the file runs past ~300 pages

    Done when

    Every volume is within about 300 pages, edges taped, wrapper closed.

    Verified on site · 22 Sept 2026

  6. Submit at Counters 1–3 — IT Centre, 1st Floor

    Rule

    Has a destination · 2 to carry

    • Fresh files and caveats moved INSIDE Gate 5 w.e.f. 16-09-2026. They are no longer taken on the outer wall.
    • Route: enter Gate 5 → clear the first security check → the canteen building is on your LEFT → climb to the FIRST FLOOR → direction markers on the landing lead to the three counters.
    • Counters 1–3 take fresh filings and caveats.
    • Court Hall 1 (Chief Justice) matters are NOT accepted here — their counter is inside the building, on the Second Floor.
    • The clerk checks the basics and issues your FR (Filing Registration) Number.

    Do not skip

    Everything you buy or pay for is OUTSIDE Gate 5 — e-stamp, Advocate Welfare Fund stamps, typing, notary, court fee, certified copies. Finish all of it before you come through security, or you will be walking out and back in.

    Carry with you

    Complete stitched file with service sealStamped Vakalatnama and IAs
    Where to goIT Centre — Fresh Files & Caveats (Counters 1–3, 1st Floor)First Floor — Canteen Building

    Done when

    You are holding an FR number.

    To be confirmed on site

  7. Pay the court fee — AFTER you have the FR number

    Rule

    Has a destination · 2 to carry

    • You need the FR number to generate and pay the exact court fee.
    • Pay at the Court Fee / Process Fee (CF/PF) counter on the outer wing, or online through the Karnataka e-Court fee portal.
    • Nothing physical is attached to the file — the payment links to your FR number digitally.
    • Fee is calculated under the Karnataka Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act, 1958.
    • The CF/PF counter is on the outer wing — OUTSIDE Gate 5. Now that filing happens inside, you have to exit security again to reach it. Paying through the Karnataka e-Court fee portal avoids the second trip.

    Do not skip

    Do not queue for the fee counter before filing — without an FR number they cannot raise the fee.

    Carry with you

    FR numberPayment method
    Where to goOuter Wing — Fees & Certified Copy WindowsApproach & Outer Wall

    Done when

    Payment shows against your FR number.

    Verified on site · 10 Sept 2026

  8. Note the FR number and know what happens next

    Practice
    • Write the FR number down before you leave — it is your only handle on the file until it becomes a case number.
    • Next: Allotment Branch → a Case Worker scrutinises the file → objections (if any) come to you → you clear them → file is typed → FR number converts into a permanent case number (e.g. WP No. 12345/2026).
    • Track objections in the Objection Decoder module.

    Done when

    FR number is saved.

    Verified on site · 10 Sept 2026

Physical file order

Top to bottom. The registry checks sequence before it checks content.

The pagination rule

The Index sits at the very front and is excluded from page numbering. Page 1 starts at the List of Dates & Synopsis — not on the index, not on the petition.

  1. Lace-based Wrapper + Presentation Form

    RuleNot paginated

    W.e.f. 15-09-2026 every fresh file and document is presented in a lace-based wrapper. Lay it open and build the file into it. The Presentation Form goes OVER the wrapper — some firms print it directly onto the wrapper. Vakalathnama, Title Page, Order Sheet and all prescribed forms must be on durable white paper, metric A4.

  2. Index

    RuleNot paginated

    Goes at the very front but gets NO page number. The page numbers written in the Index must match the actual pages behind it.

  3. List of Dates & Synopsis

    RulePaginatedsingle-sided

    PAGE 1 STARTS HERE — not on the Index, not on the petition.

  4. Main Petition / Appeal

    PracticePaginatedsingle-sided

    A4 paper (80 GSM). Rules now permit both sides, but single-sided with a 1.5–2 inch left margin is the standard the counter expects.

  5. Verifying Affidavit

    RulePaginatedsingle-sided

    Straight after the main petition, signed and attested before a Notary / Oath Commissioner with proper stamps.

  6. Annexures / Exhibits

    RulePaginatedsingle-sided

    Marked Annexure-A, Annexure-B… Kannada or faint documents need an English typed copy right behind them, with a 'True Copy' / 'True Translation' endorsement signed by the advocate. Judges who read Kannada often ignore translation objections in court — but the registry will still raise them at scrutiny. Carry the translation.

  7. Interlocutory Applications (IAs)

    RulePaginatedsingle-sided
    ₹20 Court fee stamp — per IA

    After ALL the annexures, not next to the petition.

  8. Vakalatnama

    RulePaginatedsingle-sided
    ₹30 Advocate Welfare Fund stamp₹20 Advocate Welfare Fund stamp

    ₹50 total in Advocate Welfare Fund stamps (a ₹30 + a ₹20, pasted physically). Signed by the client AND accepted by the advocate with roll number and address. Goes at the very end.

Stamp ledger

Count your IAs, then count your stamps. A short stamp is the cheapest objection to avoid and the most annoying one to cure.

  • Vakalatnama — Advocate Welfare Fund stamp₹30
  • Vakalatnama — Advocate Welfare Fund stamp₹20
  • Interlocutory Applications — ₹20 × 1₹20
  • Total stamps to affix₹70

Court fee is separate and paid online through the e-Court Fee portal. Nothing is physically attached for it.

Record your FR number

Write it down before you leave the corridor. Until conversion, this is the only handle you have on the file.

Stored on this device only. Never uploaded.

What you walk out with

  • FR (Filing Registration) Number
  • Counter acknowledgement on your copy

Verified on site · 22 Sept 2026