How to prepare an SLP paper book
How to Prepare an SLP Paper Book for the Supreme Court of India
The paper book is the compiled, paginated bundle an Advocate on Record (AoR) files with a Special Leave Petition (SLP) under Article 136 of the Constitution. A clean paper book moves through Registry scrutiny without objection; a sloppy one is marked "defective" and bounced back for refiling.
This guide walks through what goes into an SLP paper book, the order it must follow, and the formatting that keeps it from being marked defective.
What is an SLP paper book?
An SLP paper book is the complete set of pleadings and documents — the petition itself plus every supporting paper — assembled in the sequence prescribed by the Supreme Court Rules, 2013. It is what the Registry scrutinises and, ultimately, what the Bench reads.
Because only an Advocate on Record can file before the Supreme Court, responsibility for a correctly assembled paper book sits squarely with the AoR.
The required order of documents
A standard SLP paper book is arranged broadly in this sequence:
- Cover page and index (with page numbers)
- Office report on limitation
- Synopsis and list of dates (in chronological order)
- The impugned final judgment/order of the High Court or tribunal
- The SLP in Form 28 with the supporting affidavit
- Appendix setting out the relevant statutory provisions, if any
- Annexures (true copies), each properly marked and indexed
- Applications (IAs) — e.g., condonation of delay, exemption from filing certified copy, stay
- Vakalatnama and the AoR's certificate
Step by step
- Collect certified copies of the impugned judgment and the orders of all courts below.
- Draft the SLP (grounds, questions of law, prayer) in accordance with Form 28.
- Prepare the synopsis and list of dates.
- Arrange annexures in the order they are referred to, and number them.
- Compile every document in the prescribed order into a single paper book.
- Paginate continuously and build the index so each entry points to the correct page.
- Attach the required IAs, affidavit, and vakalatnama, then run a final checklist before filing.
Common mistakes that cause defects
- Impugned order not attached, or an uncertified copy used where a certified copy is required.
- Pagination that does not run continuously, or an index that points to the wrong pages.
- Annexures out of order or not referred to in the petition.
- Missing condonation of delay application where the SLP is filed beyond limitation.
- Listing proforma fields left incomplete.