In short. To check where your DIAC case stands, go to the Cause List section of the Delhi International Arbitration Centre website (dhcdiac.nic.in). Download the PDF for the date you want and search it for your DIAC case number. Each row gives the purpose, time, mode, room and status of the hearing. If your mobile number is registered with DIAC, you can also see case details and hearing dates in the DIAC app. You'll need the case number. Party names won't help. And if a date's missing, look at the last procedural order and email the Secretariat.
Is this your situation?
- You're a party in a DIAC arbitration. You'd like to know the next date without ringing your lawyer every Monday.
- You typed your company's name into the DIAC cause list. Nothing came up.
- Your matter shows Re-scheduled, or Cancelled, and nobody has told you why.
- Someone said the hearing is online, or hybrid, or outside DIAC. You're not sure what that means for you.
- You run the business from Noida or Gurugram, or from abroad, and have to follow the case from there.
- The arbitration began with a Delhi High Court order, and now you have two numbers and don't know which to search.
- The award's due any day. How will you even find out it's been made?
DIAC case status: start here
The fastest public check is the DIAC cause list. The Delhi International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) works from the Delhi High Court campus on Shershah Road, New Delhi. For every working day it puts up a cause list, as a PDF, in the Cause List section of its website, dhcdiac.nic.in. Each entry gives the DIAC case number, the purpose of the hearing, the time slot, the mode of hearing, the room, and a status column.
Want more than one day's listing? There are two other places to look. DIAC has a mobile app, on Android and iOS, that gives arbitrators, parties and counsel with matters pending at the Centre read-only access to case details, cause lists and hearing dates. You log in with the mobile number registered with DIAC. The Centre also runs an e-filing facility. Parties and counsel file pleadings and view and download case documents there, and arbitrators upload orders and awards.
You can't do without your DIAC case number. That's the one thing. The cause list doesn't show party names or arbitrator names, so typing in your company's name gets you nowhere. Not sure of the number, or of what stage you're at? Our DIAC arbitration page explains how we keep track of DIAC matters for our clients.
Checking the DIAC cause list, one step at a time
Go to the DIAC website
Open dhcdiac.nic.in, the official site of the Delhi International Arbitration Centre. Make sure it's the Delhi one. Search engines sometimes mix it up with the Dubai International Arbitration Centre, which has the same initials.
Click Cause List in the menu
You'll see the daily lists, newest date first, each marked with its date and a PDF icon. Older lists sit in the archive linked from the same page.
Download the list for your date
Lists usually go up a day or so ahead, and they can be revised. Checking for tomorrow? Look again in the evening, and once more on the morning of the hearing.
Search the PDF for your number
Use find, and search only the number part (the four digits, say), because the format can differ slightly from entry to entry. Then check the month and year that follow.
Read across the row
Note the purpose, the time slot and the mode (physical, hybrid, online or outside DIAC). Then the room number, if there is one, and the status: active, re-scheduled or cancelled.
Match it with the last procedural order
The tribunal's order sheet from the last hearing should show the same date and the same purpose. If they don't match, write to the Secretariat or your counsel that same day.
How to read a DIAC cause list, column by column
| Column | What you'll see | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| S. No. | The serial number for the day | Just its place on the list. Lists run roughly in order of start time |
| Case No. | Usually DIAC/ then a case number and the month and year it was registered, like DIAC/NNNN/MM-YY. A few older entries use slight variants | Your identifier at the Centre. Put it on every letter and email |
| Purpose | Evidence, Argument, Further Proceedings (F.P.), Issues, Arguments on an application, Hearing, Award, Clarification, plus some abbreviations | What the sitting is for, and so who needs to be there |
| Time | A start and end time, often a two-hour slot. On busy days slots run from morning well into the evening | Be ready ten minutes early, in person or online |
| Mode of hearing | PHYSICAL, HYBRID, ONLINE or OUTSIDE DIAC | Whether you come to the Centre, join on video, or go somewhere else |
| Room No. | A hearing room number at the Centre. Often blank for online or outside hearings | Where to head once you're inside the DIAC building |
| Status | Active, Re-scheduled or Cancelled | Whether the sitting will actually go ahead that day |
What the purpose column is telling you
For a business owner, the purpose column matters most. It tells you whether you need to be there. Evidence means a witness will be examined or cross-examined. If you or your staff are witnesses, you have to attend, prepared, with your documents. Argument means counsel will argue the case, or part of it. It helps if the client comes. It's not usually required. Issues means the tribunal will frame the points it has to decide. Short sitting. Important one.
Further Proceedings, often written F.P., covers procedural sittings of every kind: compliance with directions, timetables, pending applications. Arguments on an application usually means an interim application, such as one under Section 17 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 for interim measures, or under Section 16 on jurisdiction. Clarification typically means the tribunal has questions after arguments. And Award means the matter is listed for pronouncement or delivery of the award.
Some entries use abbreviations the list never explains, F.D.O.H. and P.D.O.H. among them. Don't guess. The last procedural order should state the purpose of the next date in words, so check that, or ask your case manager at the Centre.
Where to find your DIAC case number
DIAC numbers a case when it registers the Request for Arbitration or a court reference. You'll find that number on the Centre's first letter or email to the parties, on fee demands, and on every procedural order. Save it in your phone and in Tally or whatever accounts system you use, next to the name of the arbitration. Your finance team will need it every time a deposit is paid.
Confusion is common where the arbitration started with a court petition. Suppose the Delhi High Court appointed the arbitrator under Section 11 and sent the matter to DIAC. The court case carries an ARB.P. number in the High Court's records. The arbitration gets its own DIAC number once registered. Search the DIAC cause list with the ARB.P. number and you'll find nothing. What happens between the court order and registration at the Centre is explained in our guide on how a Section 11 reference reaches DIAC.
Lost the number? Search your inbox for mail from the DIAC domain. Check a fee receipt. Or ask your counsel. If you write to the Secretariat with the names of the parties and the date of the Request, it will help, though it may first ask you to confirm who you are and your role in the case.
The DIAC app: case details and dates on your phone
The nearest thing to a personal case status page is DIAC's mobile app. The Centre's support page says it's meant for arbitrators, parties and counsel with matters pending at DIAC, and gives read-only access to case details, cause lists and hearing dates. There's no separate sign-up. You log in with the mobile number registered with DIAC in your matter.
That last part trips people up. If only your lawyer's number is registered, you, the client, may not get in at all. Want direct access? Ask your counsel to get the Centre to record your authorised representative's number. And give that login to someone who'll actually look at it. Login and activation problems go to the support email address listed on the Centre's website.
Use the app for convenience. It isn't the official record. Where the app and the latest procedural order disagree, the tribunal's order wins. If the Secretariat emails you about a change of date, act on the email, even if the app hasn't caught up yet.
E-filing access: orders, pleadings and documents online
The Centre describes its e-filing facility as a secure platform where stakeholders can view and download documents. Parties and counsel file pleadings and case documents on it. Arbitrators upload orders and awards. Once your matter is on the platform, it's often the quickest way to see the latest order sheet and confirm exactly what was directed last time.
An arbitrator can sign an award electronically only with his or her own valid digital signature. DIAC doesn't issue digital signatures to arbitrators. So your award may arrive as an e-signed document on the platform, or as a physically signed copy. For any court proceeding you'll need certified copies of orders and awards, and our guide on certified copies of DIAC orders and awards tells you how to get them.
Registration details, login methods, what each user can see: all of this changes as the system develops. Get current instructions from your counsel or the Secretariat. Old screenshots and a colleague's login aren't a safe guide.
Who actually tells you the next date?
The tribunal fixes dates. The Centre doesn't. At the end of every sitting, the arbitrator records the next date and its purpose in a procedural order. Under Rule 21.2 of the DIAC (Arbitration Proceedings) Rules, 2023, the tribunal settles the procedure with the parties soon after it's appointed, often in a timetable that lists several future dates in one go. The cause list then picks up those dates.
In a DIAC case, most communication goes by email. Rule 3.1 of the 2023 Rules allows written communications by any form of electronic communication, email included. So the address you gave in the Request or the Response matters a great deal. Did it belong to an employee who has since left? Is it a shared inbox nobody opens? Then you can miss a change of date entirely. Update it in writing with both the Centre and the tribunal.
When something looks off, the DIAC Secretariat handles administrative questions. That covers deposits, case numbers, registering contact details, room bookings and cause list entries. Its address and phone numbers are on the Centre's contact page. Check there for the current numbers, since lines get added and changed. Physical filing at the Centre has fixed counter hours. Plan paper filings around them.
Physical, hybrid, online or outside DIAC: reading the mode column
- PHYSICAL. You'll be at the Centre on the Delhi High Court campus, in the room shown. Bring ID to get onto the campus. If the tribunal works from paper, bring paper copies too.
- HYBRID. Some people are in the room and others join on video. Find out in advance who'll be where. You don't want your witness stuck on a shaky connection while the other side's witness sits right in front of the arbitrator.
- ONLINE. Everyone joins by video conference. Rule 26.1(a) of the 2023 Rules lets the tribunal decide whether hearings are in person or remote. DIAC Practice Direction 1 of 2026, dated 29 May 2026, says preliminary procedural hearings are to be held virtually, and keeps physical hearings for evidence, final arguments and certain applications. Our guide on how DIAC practice directions affect your case goes into the detail.
- OUTSIDE DIAC. The sitting is somewhere other than the Centre. It could be the arbitrator's chambers, or a venue the two sides agreed on. The order sheet or an email ought to say where. If neither does, ask well before the day.
- No room number at all. That's normal for online, hybrid and outside entries. For a physical hearing, though, a blank room column is worth a call to the Secretariat that morning.
Your case isn't on the DIAC cause list. Why?
Often there's nothing wrong. Plenty of stages in a DIAC arbitration don't involve a hearing. While pleadings are being exchanged, the claim, defence, counter claim and replies go in to a timetable, and weeks can pass without a sitting. After final arguments, if the award is reserved, you'll see no entries until the tribunal lists it for pronouncement or sends out the award.
Some reasons do need action. The matter may be stuck over an unpaid deposit. Under Rule 33.5 of the 2023 Rules, if a deposit isn't made within thirty days of falling due, the Centre can terminate the arbitration, or tell the tribunal to. What to do about that is in our guide on DIAC fee payments and missed deposits. Perhaps the arbitrator has resigned and a substitute hasn't been appointed yet. Or the twelve-month time limit under Section 29A of the Act may have expired. That freezes the tribunal until the parties agree an extension or the court grants one.
And sometimes it's something silly. Wrong date's list. Wrong number. Re-check the number, the date in the last order, and the lists for the day before and the day after. Still missing? Write to the Secretariat and your counsel the same day.
Connected court cases have their own tracking
The DIAC cause list only covers proceedings before DIAC tribunals. Court cases running alongside the arbitration, or after it, sit in the court's own system. A Section 9 petition for interim measures, a Section 11 petition, a Section 29A extension petition, a Section 34 challenge to the award, an execution petition: these are listed by the Delhi High Court or the district Commercial Court under their own case numbers. You check them on that court's case status page and cause list.
Why does that matter? Because dates clash. A DIAC evidence sitting and a High Court listing on the same morning can easily happen, and your counsel can't be in two places. Advocate B.K. Singh asks clients to keep a single calendar showing DIAC sittings and connected court dates side by side. A clash between the two is the most common avoidable problem we see in these files. Asking for a change of date weeks ahead is easy. On the morning itself, it's a scramble. For the court side, see our guide on how to check commercial case status online in Delhi courts.
Where to check each part of your DIAC case
| What you want to know | Where to look | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Is my case listed on a particular day? | DIAC website, Cause List, the PDF for that date | Search by DIAC case number. Party names aren't on the list |
| Time, mode and room | The same row of the cause list | Look again the evening before and the morning of the hearing |
| Next date and what it's for | The tribunal's last procedural order, and the DIAC app | If they differ, the order wins |
| Copies of pleadings and orders | The DIAC e-filing platform, or your counsel's file | For court use, get certified copies through the Centre |
| Deposits due and paid | DIAC's fee letters, plus the fee calculator and payment page on its website | Keep receipts filed under the case number |
| Hearing room bookings | The hearing room availability page on the DIAC website | Handy when planning extra sittings |
| Connected court cases | Case status and cause list of the Delhi High Court or the district court | These numbers differ from your DIAC number |
| Administrative problems | The DIAC Secretariat, by email or phone | Put the case number in the subject line |
Details to keep handy while you track a DIAC matter
- Your DIAC case number, written exactly as it is on the Centre's letters
- Who your arbitrator or arbitrators are, and your case manager at the Centre (it's all in DIAC's letters)
- The mobile number and email address DIAC has on record for your side
- The latest procedural order and whatever timetable it fixed
- When pleadings were completed, and the Section 29A deadline
- Fee demands, payment receipts and when the next deposit falls due
- Case numbers of connected court matters, for instance a Section 9 or Section 11 petition
- Your witnesses' names and phone numbers, and the dates you might need each of them
- Video link instructions for online and hybrid hearings, saved somewhere you'll find them in a rush
How will you know the award is out?
On the day the tribunal means to pronounce or deliver it, the cause list may show your case with Award as the purpose. You'll also get the award itself. Section 31(5) of the Arbitration Act requires a signed copy to be delivered to each party. At DIAC it usually comes through the Centre, by email, on the e-filing platform, or by hand.
The date you receive the award matters more than the date printed on it. Under Section 34 you get three months to challenge it, extendable by up to thirty days for sufficient cause. Not a day more. That period runs from the date the party received the award. Write down the date and how it reached you on the day it arrives. Won the case? The same date tells you when the challenge period closes and enforcement can start.
Following a DIAC case from outside Delhi, or from abroad
Lots of DIAC parties aren't in Delhi at all. A steel trader in Ghaziabad, a software company in Gurugram, a hosiery exporter in Ludhiana: each can follow the case through the app, the e-filing platform and email without making the trip. Preliminary hearings are now virtual, and other stages often go online too. So a party based outside Delhi may only need to come to the Centre for evidence or final arguments. Maybe not even then.
Foreign parties get the same tools, plus time zones. A hearing at 10:00 in New Delhi lands in the small hours in parts of North America. Ask the tribunal early for slots that suit overseas witnesses, and register an email address someone checks every day. The wider issues are in our guide on whether a foreign party can arbitrate at DIAC.
An invented example: the hearing that moved
This one's made up. The managing director of an electrical fittings distributor in Karol Bagh is the respondent in a DIAC claim filed by a switchgear manufacturer from Baddi. The last procedural order fixes the next sitting for cross-examining the manufacturer's sales head. The date's in his diary. He plans to go with his accountant, who has found gaps in the ledgers.
Two days before, more out of habit than anything, he downloads the cause list. His case number is there. But the status says Re-scheduled, and the mode has switched to online. He goes through his email and finds a message from the Secretariat. It went to an old company address nobody watches any more. The claimant's witness is unwell, it says, and the tribunal has moved the sitting to a later date, in a shorter online slot, for directions only. He forwards it to counsel and updates the registered email address that day. The cross-examination is properly refixed a fortnight later.
Nothing was lost. But only because he checked. Had he turned up at the Centre with his accountant on the old date, he'd have wasted a working day and still not known why.
Mistakes people make tracking DIAC hearings
- Searching by company name. The cause list only shows case numbers. Keep your DIAC number to hand.
- Searching with the court number. An ARB.P. or O.M.P. number from the High Court isn't your DIAC number.
- Checking once, days in advance. The status can change late. Look the evening before, and again that morning.
- An old email address on record. Under Rule 3.1, email is a normal way to communicate. If the registered address is dead, you won't hear about changes.
- Trusting only the app. If there's a mismatch, the procedural order and the Secretariat's emails win.
- Ignoring the mode column. Showing up at the Centre for an online hearing, or logging in for a physical evidence sitting, and the date's gone.
- Not writing down when the award arrived. The Section 34 clock runs from receipt. You'll need that date later.
Keeping track of your DIAC case: this week
Find your DIAC case number and save it somewhere your finance and legal people can both see. Download the latest procedural order. Note the next date and its purpose. Once the cause list for that date is up, open it, and set reminders to check again the evening before and that morning.
Find out which mobile number and email address the Centre has for your side, and fix them if they're out of date. If you'd like to use the app, ask your counsel to get your authorised person's number recorded. After every DIAC sitting, Advocate B.K. Singh sends the client a short note with the next date, its purpose, the mode, and who needs to attend. That way you're never left decoding the cause list on your own. If you'd like that kind of tracking for your matter, our DIAC arbitration services page explains how we work.
Want your DIAC file reviewed, the next steps explained, or an update on DIAC procedure? You can reach Advocate B.K. Singh's team through the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I check DIAC case status by party name?
No. The daily DIAC cause list shows case numbers, purpose, time, mode, room and status. It doesn't show party or arbitrator names. Use your DIAC case number, which is on the Centre's letters, fee demands and procedural orders.
When does DIAC publish its cause list?
There's a PDF for each working day on the DIAC website, usually up a day or so ahead. Entries can change, though. Check the evening before and again on the morning of your hearing.
What does Re-scheduled mean on the DIAC cause list?
The sitting won't happen at the listed time. It's been moved. You'll normally find the new date in the tribunal's order or in an email from the Secretariat. Can't find it? Write to the Centre quoting your case number.
Is there a DIAC app for my hearing dates?
Yes. DIAC's app for Android and iOS gives parties, counsel and arbitrators with pending matters read-only access to case details, cause lists and hearing dates. You log in with the mobile number registered with DIAC in your case.
Why can't I find my case number on the cause list?
Maybe there's no hearing that day. The case may be at the pleadings stage, or the award may be reserved. It could also be stuck over unpaid deposits, a vacancy on the tribunal, or an expired time limit. Check the last order and ask the Secretariat.
Does DIAC send hearing notices by post?
Mostly it uses email, which Rule 3.1 of the 2023 Rules allows. Keep your registered email address current and check the spam folder. A missed email usually isn't accepted as a good reason for missing a date.
Can I attend a DIAC hearing online?
Often, yes. Under Rule 26.1(a) the tribunal decides whether a hearing is in person or by video, and a 2026 practice direction makes preliminary procedural hearings virtual. Evidence and final arguments may be physical, so check the mode column and the order.
Is the DIAC in these listings the Dubai centre?
No. The DIAC at dhcdiac.nic.in is the Delhi International Arbitration Centre, set up by the Delhi High Court. The Dubai International Arbitration Centre is a separate institution with its own rules and systems.
Advocate B.K. Singh
Founder of B.K. Singh & Associates. MCA, LL.B., LL.M. More than twenty years in practice before the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court, district and commercial courts in Delhi NCR, and tribunals.
This guide explains the law in general terms and is not legal advice. For advice on your own papers, contact the team.