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5. Police should serve people in cases of 8. Though no time limits exist for filing an FIR,
natural calamities.
6. People should register an FIR promptly with
an officer visiting the scene of accident and
conducting proper investigation.
The police personal should balance maintenance
of law and order with service to people. Efforts
should be made to update the Police Act to
uphold democratic values and culture and equip
the police with latest known-how and sophisti-
cated gadgets. The police should be trained to be
accountable to the people rather than serving a
few political elites.
FIRST INFORMATION REPORT (FIR)
First Information Report (FIR) is the information
which a police officer receives about the commis-
sion of the crime. It is a report which reaches to
police first in point of time. That is why it is called
FIR.
Features of Law Regarding FIR
1. FIR must be written, duly signed and copy
must be given to the informant.
2. FIR is normally a complaint lodged by the
victim of the cognisable offence with the
police.
3. It is not necessary that only a victim files an
FIR. Even a person knowing about the
commission of a cognisable offence can file
an FIR.
4. Any policy officer who comes to know
about a cognisable offence can file an FIR.
5. FIR must have date, place and time of the
incident.
6. FIR can be filed at any place in the country
and not necessary to file where the crime
took place. The police officer of such station
where the FIR is field shall sent the matter to
police station under whose jurisdiction the
matter falls.
7. Every complainant can ask for a copy of
FIR, free of cost.
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it is best to file it as soon as a cognisable
offence is committed.
Can Lodging of a Complaint be Denied?
A police officer cannot deny the lodging of a
complaint. This because of the fact an FIR is very
important document as it sets the process of
criminal justice in action. It is only after the
registration of an FIR in a police station that
police initiates investigation in registering an FIR,
the following course of action is taken :
1. A report in writing can be sent to the con-
cerned Superintendent of Police (SP) along
with details of the incident concerning the in
charge of local police station in registering
the case.
2. A complainant can even meet the SP or
higher officials like Deputy Inspector
General of Police or I.G. and bring his
complaint to their notice.
3. A private complain can be filed before the
court having jurisdiction.
4. A complaint can even be made to the State
Human Rights Commission or National
Human Rights Commission (NHRC) if the
police refuse to register a case and does
nothing to enforce the law.
CASE STUDY: SUPREME COURT’S
DIRECTIVE ON NOT ACCEPTING FIR BY
THE POLICE
(Hindustan Times)
New Delhi, Feb 22 (2006) The supreme Court
has held that police cannot refuse to register a
first information report or formal complaints
simply on the basis of doubt of credibility or
genuineness of a complaint received.
A bench of judges headed by H.K. Sema and
A.R. Lakshmanan, giving this ruling, made it
clear that genuineness or otherwise of the infor-
mation can only be considered after registration