🏛️ Indian Court Case Scraper Web Application

A comprehensive web application for searching and retrieving case details from Indian High Courts and District Courts through official eCourts portals.

🎥 Video Demo

Watch the explanation video to see how the scraper works:

Watch on YouTube

Features

✅ Multi-Court Support

• All Indian High Courts (25+ courts)
• All District & Taluka Courts across India

✅ Complete Case Information

• Case details (Filing date, registration number, CNR)
• Party information (Petitioners & Respondents)
• Case status and next hearing dates
• Order/Judgment details
• Complete hearing history

✅ Database Storage

• Automatic storage of all queries and results in SQLite database
• Query history tracking
• Raw response preservation for future analysis

✅ User-Friendly Interface

• Clean, modern, responsive design
• Dynamic dropdowns for easy navigation
• Real-time captcha solving
• Detailed result display

Project Structure

webapp/
├── backend/
│   ├── app.py                      # Flask application with API routes
│   ├── high_court_scraper.py       # High Court scraper module
│   └── district_court_scraper.py   # District Court scraper module
├── frontend/
│   └── index.html                  # Single-page web interface
├── database/
│   └── court_cases.db             # SQLite database (auto-created)
├── requirements.txt               # Python dependencies
└── README.md                      # This file

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• pip (Python package manager)

Setup Steps

1. Navigate to the webapp directory

   cd CourtScraper

2. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

Running the Application

1. Start the Flask server

   cd backend
   python app.py

   The server will start on http://localhost:5000

2. Access the web interface Open your browser and go to:

   http://localhost:5000
   

Usage Guide

Searching High Court Cases

1. Select High Court tab
2. Choose a High Court from the dropdown (e.g. Delhi Highcourt)
3. Select the Case Type (e.g., W.P.(C), Civil Appeal)
4. Enter Case Number (e.g., 16516)
5. Enter Year (e.g., 2022)
6. Click Search Case
7. Solve the captcha when prompted
8. View detailed case information

Searching District Court Cases

1. Select District Court tab
2. Choose State from dropdown (e.g. Maharashtra)
3. Select District (e.g. Mumbai City Civil Court)
4. Choose Court Complex (e.g. Mumbai City Sessions Court
5. Select Case Type (CRI APPEAL)
6. Enter Case Number (e.g., 100591)
7. Enter Year (e.g., 2016)
8. Click Search Case
9. Solve the captcha when prompted
10. View detailed case information

API Endpoints

High Court Endpoints

• GET /api/high-court/courts - Get all High Courts
• POST /api/high-court/case-types - Get case types for selected court
• POST /api/high-court/search - Initiate case search (returns captcha)
• POST /api/high-court/verify-captcha - Verify captcha and get case details

District Court Endpoints

• GET /api/district-court/states - Get all states
• POST /api/district-court/districts - Get districts for state
• POST /api/district-court/court-complexes - Get court complexes for district
• POST /api/district-court/case-types - Get case types for court complex
• POST /api/district-court/search - Initiate case search (returns captcha)
• POST /api/district-court/verify-captcha - Verify captcha and get case details

Utility Endpoints

• GET /api/history - Get search history (last 50 queries)

Database Schema

queries table

• id - Primary key
• court_type - 'high_court' or 'district_court'
• query_params - JSON of search parameters
• timestamp - Query timestamp

case_results table

• id - Primary key
• query_id - Foreign key to queries table
• case_data - JSON of parsed case data
• raw_response - JSON of raw API response
• timestamp - Result timestamp

Technical Details

Backend (Flask)

• RESTful API architecture
• Session management for court portals
• Captcha handling with base64 encoding
• Database integration with SQLite
• CORS enabled for development

Frontend (HTML/CSS/JavaScript)

• Vanilla JavaScript (no frameworks)
• Responsive design
• Dynamic form generation
• Real-time API communication
• Clean, modern UI with gradient design

Scrapers

• High Court Scraper: Interfaces with https://hcservices.ecourts.gov.in
• District Court Scraper: Interfaces with https://services.ecourts.gov.in
• Session management and cookie handling
• Captcha image extraction and display
• HTML parsing with BeautifulSoup4
• Comprehensive error handling

Features Implemented

✅ Court selection dropdowns (dynamic) ✅ Case type dropdowns (auto-populated) ✅ Interactive captcha solving ✅ Real-time case search ✅ Detailed result display ✅ Database storage of queries and results ✅ Error handling and user feedback ✅ Responsive design for mobile/desktop ✅ Loading indicators ✅ Alert notifications

Differences from CLI Scrapers

This web app differs from the original CLI scrapers in the following ways:

1. No Batch Mode: Only interactive single-case search (as requested)
2. Simplified Interface: Web-based UI instead of command-line prompts
3. RESTful API: Backend provides API endpoints for frontend consumption
4. Database Integration: Automatic storage of all searches
5. Captcha Display: Visual captcha display instead of file saving
6. Session Management: Backend handles all session/cookie management
7. Streamlined Code: Removed CLI-specific features and batch processing

Troubleshooting

Port Already in Use

If port 5000 is already in use, modify app.py:

app.run(debug=True, host='0.0.0.0', port=5001)  # Change port

Database Errors

The database is automatically created. If you encounter issues:

rm database/court_cases.db  # Delete and restart app

Captcha Issues

If captcha doesn't load:

• Check internet connection
• Verify the court portal is accessible
• Try refreshing the page

Module Import Errors

Ensure all dependencies are installed:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Future Enhancements (Not Implemented)

• PDF download functionality for judgments/orders
• Cause list scraping feature
• Advanced search filters
• Export results to PDF/Excel
• User authentication
• Search history management
• Batch import from CSV
• Automated notifications for case updates

Credits

Built for Internshala assignment - Indian Court Case Scraper Project

License

This project is for educational purposes only. Please respect the terms of service of the eCourts portals.

Support

For issues or questions, refer to the source code comments or create an issue in the repository.