Upload FIRs in 24 hours of filing, says Supreme Court

In a significant order towards transparency and ensuring the rights of the accused, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed all the states and Union Territories to upload a copy of first information report on their respective websites within 24 hours of registration.

Giving this direction on a PIL filed by Youth Bar Association of India, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and S. Nagappan said that the time can be extended upto 48 hours if for some reason the FIRs cannot be uploaded within 24 hours. States like Sikkim, Meghalaya, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir due to their geographical region have to upload the same within 72 hours.

The petitioner submitted that the FIR is a public document; however, it is not an easy task for the general public to obtain a copy of FIR from the police. Therefore, if the FIR is put on the website, it would be in the larger public interest and the same will also avoid many difficulties being faced by the general public. Taking note of the fact that police harass the complainants in furnishing copy of the FIR, the bench passed this order.

The bench exempted cases relating to sexual offences, offences against children, insurgency and terrorism from being put on the websites. It said these are illustrative and not exhaustive. The decision not to upload the FIR shall not be taken by an officer below the rank of deputy superintendent of police or its equivalent rank. The bench directed that a copy of this order be sent to the Union home secretary and home secretaries of all states.