Standard Indian Legal Citation

The Standard Indian Legal Citation (abbreviated SILC) is a legal citation guide developed in India to provide a uniform framework for referencing legal materials and academic writing in South Asia. It is the only foreign jurisdiction citation guide from Asia to be recognised by the Harvard Law School library.[1][2] It has been considered an important early effort to unify citation practices across South Asia.[3]

The citation guide was officially released in 2014 and had usage in 32 law schools.[4][1] By 2015, it was used in more than 100 academic institutions across the country.[1][5]

History

Prior to the introduction of SILC, Indian law journals and academic institutions used different citation systems, based on foreign standards such as The Bluebook or OSCOLA.[6]

The SILC was developed in 2013 by Rohit Pothukuchi (Editor-in-Chief), a graduate of NALSAR University of Law, along with Shambo Nandy, a Supreme Court advocate and former executive editor of the Journal of Indian Law and Society, and Debanshu Khettry, executive editor of the Journal of Telecommunication and Broadcasting Law.[7] Senior editors included Akshay Sreevatsa.

The initiative involved a team of editors and advisory members drawn from various Indian law schools and legal institutions, such as the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), NALSAR, National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), and National Law University, Delhi (NLUD).[1] Advisors to the working draft included Rajiv K. Luthra, the founding Partner of Luthra & Luthra, a major Indian law firm, Prof. MP Singh, former Chair of the Judicial Academy, Delhi, and the Vice Chancellors of major legal institutions.

Overview

The SILC manual includes guidance for citing Indian sources (cases, legislative materials, articles, books, internet sources, law commission reports, working papers, forthcoming papers) and international sources (case law, statutes, constitutions, United Nations sources), as well as standard signs, signals, and abbreviations.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Homegrown Indian academic citation standard gets acceptance by Harvard Law School". www.legallyindia.com. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  2. ↑ Barmakian, Deanna. "Research Guides: Legal Citation Guides and Abbreviations: Home". guides.library.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  3. ↑ Robinson, Nick (2014-03-28). "Standard Indian Legal Citation Launches". Law and Other Things. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  4. ↑ Krishnan, Murali (2014-03-27). "Indian law students, academics launch Standard Indian Legal Citation; Citation format aimed to unify academic references". Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  5. ↑ AK, Aditya (2015-04-01). "Standard Indian Legal Citation recognized by Harvard Law School Library; Gains support from over 140 law schools". Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  6. ↑ Admin, The (2014-03-27). "BREAKING: Say Goodbye to Blue Book and OSCOLA! Welcome the Standard Indian Legal Citation (SILC)". Lawctopus. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  7. ↑ Adivi, Sashidhar (2017-04-22). "For the love of law | For the love of law". www.asianage.com. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  8. ↑ "Working Draft: SILC" (PDF). The Law Brigade. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
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