A plaint is the foundational pleading that institutes a civil suit in India. Filed by the plaintiff under Order VII of the Code of Civil Procedure, the plaint contains the facts on which the plaintiff's claim is based, the cause of action, the jurisdiction, the valuation, and the relief sought. Once filed, the case is "instituted" and the court assigns a case number.
Order VII Rule 1 CPC lists the mandatory particulars: name of the court; plaintiff's particulars; defendant's particulars; minority or unsound mind (if applicable); facts constituting cause of action and when it arose; facts showing jurisdiction; relief claimed; any set-off or relinquishment; and the value for jurisdiction and court fees.
The plaint is structured as: cause title, introductory paragraph, narrative paragraphs (numbered), cause-of-action paragraph, jurisdiction paragraph, valuation paragraph, prayer (relief), verification, affidavit in support, annexures.
Common pitfalls in plaint drafting lead to rejection under Order VII Rule 11: no cause of action disclosed, relief undervalued, insufficient court fee, barred by law (including limitation on the face of the plaint), filed without mandatory pre-institution mediation in applicable commercial suits. A careful cause-of-action paragraph — identifying a specific date, connecting pleaded facts to a recognized legal wrong, placing the suit within limitation — is the single most important drafting decision.
For a full drafting guide, see the blog post linked below.