Background: Decompensated liver disease has high mortality and morbidity rates, and early diagnosis is crucial for prognostication and prioritizing patients for liver transplantation. While scores like MELD and Child-Pugh are widely used, they have limitations. The CHIBA score is a novel prognostic model that includes ascites and hepatic encephalopathy, which are strongly correlated with mortality in decompensated liver disease. This study aimed to validate the accuracy of the CHIBA score in predicting 3-month mortality in patients with decompensated liver disease compared to the MELD score. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at a tertiary care center in South India. A total of 100 patients with decompensated liver disease, aged between 18 and 60 years, were included. Patients with pre-existing cardiac and renal failure or coagulation disorders were excluded. The CHIBA score was calculated using the formula: creatinine × 0.6 + hepatic encephalopathy × 0.4 + INR × 0.8 + bilirubin × 0.125 + ascites × 1.2. Ascites was evaluated clinically and through imaging, while hepatic encephalopathy was graded according to the West Haven criteria. Clinical and biochemical parameters were collected on the date of admission. The CHIBA score was compared to the MELD score in predicting 3-month mortality