Zero First Information Report (FIR)

September 4, 2024

GS Paper II Indian Polity and Governance

Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs has directed Union Territories to ensure that ‘zero FIRs’ recorded in local languages carry a translated copy if forwarded to states where different languages are used.

About Zero FIR

The term FIR is not defined in the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973, or in any other law, but in police regulations or rules, information recorded under Section 154 of CrPC is known as FIR.

Refers: An FIR that can be registered at any police station irrespective of jurisdiction or the area where the crime was committed, in case of cognisable offenses.
- It is then sent to the police station concerned, which could even be in another state, for re-registration as a regular FIR.
Origin of Zero FIR: The provision of Zero FIR was established based on the recommendation on the report of the Justice Verma Committee.
- The Justice Verma Committee was formed after the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape case.
Purpose of Zero FIR: To provide speedy redressal to the victim so that timely action can be taken after the filing of the FIR.
Boundation: Under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which replaced the CrPC, police are now bound to register a ‘zero FIR’.

Enroll now for UPSC Online Course

Mandatory Registration of FIR- Supreme Court Guidelines in Lalita Kumari Case

Mandatory Registration: Registration of First Information Report is mandatory under Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, if the information discloses commission of a cognizable offence and no preliminary inquiry is permissible in such a situation.
Cognizable Nature: If the information received does not disclose a cognizable offence but indicates the necessity for an inquiry, a preliminary inquiry may be conducted only to ascertain whether cognizable offence is disclosed or not.
Strict Action: The police officer cannot avoid his duty of registering an offence if cognizable offence is disclosed. Action must be taken against erring officers who donot register the FIR if information received by him discloses a cognizable offence.

Must Read
UPSC Daily Editorials	UPSC Daily Current Affairs
Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store	Check Out UPSC Modules From PW Store
Check Out Previous Years Papers From PW Store	UPSC Test Series 2024
Daily Current Affairs Quiz	Daily Main Answer Writing
Check Out UPSC CSE Books From PW Store