Data sources & methodology

Where the information
comes from.

Every finding in a Parakh report links to a public source. This page explains what Parakh searches, how identity matching works, and what the limits of automated public-record research are.

What Parakh searches

Two public sources. Nothing hidden.

Parakh searches only publicly available government databases. No private data, no credit bureau files, no proprietary scoring.

SOURCE 1

The GST Register

Maintained by the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) under the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

What we retrieve:

  • Legal registered name and trade name
  • Constitution of business (proprietorship, partnership, private limited, etc.)
  • State of registration and registered address
  • Registration date and current status (active, cancelled, suspended)
  • GST return filing history (GSTR-3B / GSTR-1 as available)
SOURCE 2

eCourts / NIC Public Database

The National Informatics Centre (NIC) eCourts system publishes case data from district courts and high courts across India.

What we search:

  • Cases filed under or against the registered legal name
  • Cases filed under or against the trade name
  • Case type, status, and forum
  • Relevant matter types (cheque bounce, recovery suits, insolvency)
🔍 Identity matching

How we match a GSTIN to a court record.

Court records are indexed under names, not GSTINs. Name matching is a complex problem. Here is how Parakh handles it.

STEP 1

Extract both names

The GSTIN register returns both the legal registered name and the trade name. These are often different. Both are used for court searches.

STEP 2

Normalise for matching

Legal suffixes (Pvt Ltd, LLP, & Sons, etc.), punctuation, and common abbreviations are normalised so "ABC Pvt Ltd" and "ABC Private Limited" are treated as the same entity.

STEP 3

Grade confidence

Matches are graded:
STRONG — exact or near-exact name match with state consistency.
POSSIBLE — partial name match or name match with state ambiguity.

CRITICAL NOTE

Court matches are never automatically confirmed

A STRONG match indicates that the name in the court database closely matches the name on the GSTIN. It does not confirm that the record belongs to this specific business entity. Multiple businesses can share similar names, especially proprietorships named after common personal names.

A POSSIBLE match is a signal only — it requires independent verification before any action is taken.

The existence of a court record does not, by itself, indicate wrongdoing, fraud, default, or adverse creditworthiness. Businesses appear in litigation for many reasons — as plaintiffs, as defendants in disputes that were later settled, or as parties misidentified by a claimant.

📋 How GST data is interpreted

Filing records, not financial records.

Active status

The GSTIN registration is currently valid and the taxpayer is expected to file regularly. Active status does not guarantee solvency or good standing with creditors.

!

Cancelled / suspended

The registration has been cancelled (voluntary or by authority) or suspended. This is a significant signal. Goods cannot legally be supplied on GST invoices under a cancelled GSTIN.

Filing gaps

Months where no GSTR-3B return appears in the public filing index. A persistent gap (3+ months) is noted. A gap is a public-record fact — not proof of financial distress, but a signal worth understanding.

Limitations of automated research

Where the record runs out.

Information can be:

  • Delayed — court databases update with lag
  • Incomplete — not all courts are on eCourts
  • Incorrectly matched — name ambiguity is a real problem
  • Changed after retrieval — status can change the next day
  • Unavailable — a source may be temporarily offline
  • Affected by third-party system availability

Parakh cannot retrieve:

  • Bank account details or balances
  • Commercial credit bureau data (CICRA 2005 restricted)
  • Private contracts or agreements
  • Debt owed to other suppliers
  • Tribunal or arbitration proceedings not on eCourts
  • Unreported or unregistered business activity
🔗 Reproducibility

Every finding is independently verifiable.

Parakh does not produce black-box scores. Every finding in your report refers to a specific public source that you can check yourself.

  • GST registration data → verifiable at gst.gov.in
  • Filing history → verifiable at gst.gov.in taxpayer search
  • Court records → verifiable at services.ecourts.gov.in

If you believe a finding in your report is incorrect or mismatched, you can verify it directly at the source — or submit a correction request to Parakh for review.

Submit a correction →