OSCOLA Citation Guide for Indian Law Students (with Examples)

OSCOLA (the Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) is a footnote based citation style that many Indian law schools and journals accept. To use it for Indian law, you apply OSCOLA’s general rules (minimal punctuation, footnotes, a bibliography) to Indian reporters such as SCC and AIR and to the Supreme Court’s neutral citations. This guide shows you exactly how, with Indian examples you can copy.

The core principles of OSCOLA

Before you format a single footnote, understand the four habits that make OSCOLA look like OSCOLA:

• Footnotes, not in-text citations. Every reference goes in a footnote, marked by a superscript number placed after the punctuation at the end of the clause or sentence.
• Minimal punctuation. No full stops in abbreviations: write “v” (not “v.” or “vs”), “SCC” (not “S.C.C.”), “s” for section and “art” for article.
• Every footnote ends with a full stop.
• Pinpoints are precise. Point the reader to the exact paragraph or page that supports your sentence.

Citing Indian cases in OSCOLA

The basic pattern is: Case name (year) volume Report first page [pinpoint]. Case names are italicised in the footnote. Use “v” between the parties and drop “and others” or “and Anr”.

Supreme Court Cases (SCC)

SCC is organised by year, so the year goes in round brackets because the year and volume together identify the book:

• Maneka Gandhi v Union of India (1978) 1 SCC 248.
• Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala (1973) 4 SCC 225.
• K.S. Puttaswamy v Union of India (2017) 10 SCC 1.

Strict OSCOLA would drop the full stops in initials too (KS Puttaswamy), but most Indian journals accept the name as reported. Whichever you choose, keep it the same throughout the paper.

All India Reporter (AIR)

AIR citations already carry the year as part of the series and use no brackets: Maneka Gandhi v Union of India AIR 1978 SC 597. If a case is reported in both SCC and AIR, cite one consistently. Most writers prefer SCC for Supreme Court judgments because it is the reporter most often cited in court.

SCC OnLine

For recent judgments that are not yet in a printed volume, cite the SCC OnLine citation in the same pattern: Case name 2024 SCC OnLine SC [number]. Copy the number exactly from the database. Never guess it.

Neutral citations (INSC)

The Supreme Court of India started its neutral citation system on 6 July 2023. The format is the year, then “INSC” (denoting the Supreme Court of India), then a running number, for example 2023 INSC 1. The neutral citation is printed on the judgment itself, so you can verify it on the court’s website. Phase I of the system covered judgments and orders from 1 January 2014 onwards.

In OSCOLA, a neutral citation comes first and a report citation, if any, follows after a comma:

• Association for Democratic Reforms v Union of India 2024 INSC 113, (2024) 5 SCC 1.

For a pinpoint with a neutral citation, use the paragraph number in square brackets: 2024 INSC 113 [45]. Paragraph numbers work across every version of the judgment, which is exactly why neutral citations were introduced.

Citing Indian statutes

OSCOLA cites statutes by short title and year, without a comma and without italics, and abbreviates section as “s” (plural “ss”):

• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, s 103.
• Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, ss 35 and 36.
• Constitution of India 1950, art 21.

Many Indian journals prefer to keep the comma that appears in the official short title (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023). This is acceptable if the journal’s author guidelines say so. Pick one form and use it everywhere. In the text itself you can simply write “section 103 of the BNS” once you have introduced the abbreviation.

Citing secondary sources

Journal articles

Pattern: Author, ‘Title of Article’ (year) volume Journal Name first page, pinpoint.

Template: Firstname Lastname, ‘Title of the Article’ (2025) 12 Journal Name 45, 52.

Use single quotation marks around the article title. Do not italicise the journal name. If the journal is organised by volume number, the year goes in round brackets; if the year itself identifies the volume, use square brackets.

Books

Pattern: Author, Title (edition if not the first, Publisher year) page.

Example: Granville Austin, The Indian Constitution: Cornerstone of a Nation (Clarendon Press 1966) 50.

Notice there is no “p” or “pg” before the page number, and no comma between the publisher and the year.

Chapters in edited books

Template: Author, ‘Chapter Title’ in Editor (ed), Book Title (Publisher year) page.

Websites and online news

Pattern: Author, ‘Title’ (Website Name, date) <URL> accessed date.

Template: Firstname Lastname, ‘Title of the Post’ (Website Name, 10 January 2026) <https://www.example.com/page> accessed 15 January 2026.

Put the URL in angled brackets and give the date you accessed it. For newspaper reports, use the same pattern with the newspaper’s name in italics.

Government reports and Law Commission reports

Template: Law Commission of India, Title of Report (Report No [number], [year]) para [x]. Check the report number and year on the Law Commission’s own website before citing.

Subsequent citations: ibid and short forms

OSCOLA does not use “supra”, “op cit” or “id”.

• ibid (lowercase, not italic) means “in the same place” and is used only when the source is the same as in the immediately preceding footnote. Add a pinpoint if it changes: ibid [62].
• Short form with cross reference: for a source cited earlier but not in the previous footnote, give a short form and the footnote number of the full citation: Austin (n 4) 75. For cases, use a short name: Maneka Gandhi (n 2) [56].

Worked footnote sequence

1. Maneka Gandhi v Union of India (1978) 1 SCC 248.
2. ibid.
3. Constitution of India 1950, art 21.
4. Granville Austin, The Indian Constitution: Cornerstone of a Nation (Clarendon Press 1966) 50.
5. Maneka Gandhi (n 1).
6. Austin (n 4) 75.

The bibliography

OSCOLA bibliographies are split into tables: Table of Cases, Table of Legislation and a Bibliography of secondary sources. In the bibliography, put the first author’s surname first, give initials only, and do not italicise case names in the table of cases. Pinpoints are not included in the bibliography.

Common mistakes Indian students make

If your journal follows Bluebook instead, see our Bluebook citation guide for Indian sources. For a quick reference on reporters and courts, read how to cite Indian cases.

Checklist before you submit

• Every footnote ends with a full stop.
• All case names are in italics and use “v”.
• Every SCC, SCC OnLine and INSC number has been checked against the judgment or database.
• One reporter used consistently per case.
• ibid only follows the same source in the previous footnote.
• Bibliography split into cases, legislation and secondary sources.
• No mix of OSCOLA and Bluebook forms in one paper.

Citation errors are among the most common reasons reviewers send back otherwise good papers. Our guide to legal research paper format covers the rest of the manuscript structure.

Frequently asked questions

Is OSCOLA accepted by Indian law journals?

Yes, many Indian law school journals accept OSCOLA, and some prescribe it. Others prescribe Bluebook or their own house style. Always read the author guidelines and follow the style they name.

How do I cite a Supreme Court neutral citation in OSCOLA?

Write the case name in italics followed by the neutral citation exactly as printed on the judgment, for example 2024 INSC 113. If the case is also reported, add the report citation after a comma. Pinpoint using paragraph numbers in square brackets.

Should I write v or vs in case names?

In OSCOLA, always write “v” with no full stop. “vs” and “v.” are not OSCOLA forms.

Does OSCOLA use supra?

No. OSCOLA uses ibid for the immediately preceding footnote and a short form with “(n X)” for earlier footnotes.

Should I put a comma before the year in Indian statutes?

Strict OSCOLA omits it (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023). Some Indian journals keep the comma from the official title. Follow the journal’s guidelines and stay consistent.