eCourt Filing Requirements in India
The eCourts platform and various High Court e-filing portals have specific technical requirements for uploaded documents. Failing to meet these results in document rejection and delays.
Common requirements across Indian court portals:
- Format: PDF only (not Word, not image files)
- File size: Typically 10–50 MB per document (varies by court)
- Page orientation: Portrait preferred
- Resolution: Scanned documents at 200–300 DPI
- Color: Black and white scans accepted; color for photographs and exhibits
- Security: No password protection on filed documents
Converting Word Documents to PDF for Filing
- Complete the document in Word
- Accept all tracked changes and delete comments
- Go to iloveconvert.in/convert/word-to-pdf
- Upload and convert
- Verify page count and formatting before filing
Preparing Scanned Documents
Physically scanned documents need to meet resolution requirements:
- Use 200 DPI minimum for text documents (300 DPI preferred)
- Scan in grayscale for text documents — reduces file size significantly
- Scan in color only for photographs, maps, and exhibits requiring color
- Ensure all pages are right-side up (use Rotate PDF to fix any sideways pages)
Meeting File Size Limits
If your document bundle exceeds the portal's file size limit:
- First try Compress PDF — often reduces by 40–60%
- If still too large, split the bundle into multiple parts
- Some courts allow multiple uploads — submit as Part 1, Part 2, etc.
Removing Password Protection
Courts typically do not accept password-protected PDFs. If you have a protected document:
- Open it in Chrome — enter the password
- Press Ctrl+P → Save as PDF
- The new file has no password
Index and Page Numbering
For document bundles, prepare an index page listing all documents with their page numbers. After merging the bundle, verify that page numbers in the index match the actual pages. This is a standard expectation in High Court filings and avoids objections from the registry.
Vakalatnama and Affidavit Formatting
These documents must be signed before scanning. Ensure the signature is clear and complete on the scanned image. Courts may reject documents where the signature is cut off at the edge or is illegible due to poor scan quality.