How to file First Information Report – FIR

FIR means First Information Report and it is a written document prepared by the police when they receive information about the commission of a cognizable offence A delay in registering an FIR may also discredit the evidentiary valueThe procedure of filing an FIR is prescribed in Section 154 of the Criminal Procedure Code 1973 An FIR is a very important document as it sets the process of criminal justice in motion An FIR is generally filed in the police station within whose jurisdiction the offence is committed The FIR should mention the date time and location of the incident and the identity of the accused if known in a precise mannerIt should also contain the true facts of the incident which occurred along with the names and descriptions of the persons involved in the incident The names of the witnesses if any should also be given to help the police in their investigation It is also a good idea to call the police helpline number eg100 in Delhi as it is a recorded call and serves as an authentic reference for reporting the offence It is also necessary that the FIR be read carefully before it is signedThe police will then give you a copy of the FIR and the investigation will follow However it is not always necessary to go to the police station to file an FIR In respect of a certain class of offences one can also file an FIR online The first step for this is to register oneself in the police portal of your city or state Let us take the example of the Delhi police You can log on to wwwdelhipolicenicin and scroll to the bottom where you see an option called Citizen ServicesClick on it and on the next page you will find options such as Complaint Lodging MV theft eFIR Theft eFIR Economic And Cyber offences Missing person report Lost and Found etc You have to click on the relevant option and then on the next page you have to enter your user id and phone no if you are already a registered user If you are not a registered user then you need to register first Suppose for example you have to file an FIR regarding Motor Vehicle theftClick on the option for MV theft eFIR click on Registered User fill in your details and login with the OTP received on your mobile On the next page one has to enter the Complainant details followed by vehicle details and property stolen along with the vehicle Lastly one has to click on the button Register and voila your work is done A copy of the FIR is then sent to your registered email account The process for reporting the Lost amp Found article is much simpler A word of caution thoughDont report false cases otherwise legal action us 182 of the IPC can be initiated against you This online system is called Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems CCTNS which is carried out on the Mission Mode project by the Ministry of Home Affairs Govt of India Other states have similar provisions which can be accessed through their respective online portals eg for Uttar Pradesh one can log in to uppolicegovinIn case a genuine complaint is not registered by the police then one can write and post or email the complaint to the Superintendent of police and other higher officials Lastly if the police dont register an FIR then the only option is to approach the magistrate under Section 200 rw 1563 of the CrPC through a lawyer The author of the article is Rishiraj Vikash a practising lawyer in Delhi NCR who is former Additional Private Secretary to Minister of Petroleum amp Natural Gas Govt of IndiaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever