What is F.I.R | First Information Report | Find Your Advocate

A Brief explanation of an F.I.R 

The First Information Report or FIR is the most important document in a criminal investigation. It sets criminal law in motion because the police only begin their investigations after the FIR has been registered. This article specifically addresses the meaning and purpose of the FIR and the procedure followed after the FIR is recorded by the police. Importance of FIR The information that a person gives to the police about a crime that the police are authorized to investigate under the Code (Recognizable Crime) is known as “initial information”. Section 154 requires this information to be reduced to writing and the police officer to record receipt of this information in a diary that is kept each day. This written information is known as the "First Information Report" (FIR). It is assumed that FIR is registered to implement criminal law. Strictly speaking, the police cannot conduct an investigation unless information about criminal activity or behavior is received. Once the police receive the information, the arrest process, registration, and trial begin. 

Therefore, the FIR should be necessary for the implementation of criminal law. However, in the Maharashtra State v. Ahmed Shaikh Babajan, the Supreme Court found that "FIR is not a prerequisite for the implementation of criminal law". [1] This means that the police can act before the FIR is registered, for example, if the police witness a violation or if the information is given on the way to a district inspector instead of a police station. The purpose of the FIR is to record the crime and accused information before the informant's memory fails or before he has time to fabricate or embellish the information. The FIR can be given by anyone who has been a victim of the crime. or one of the victims of the crime. In addition, it can be given by anyone who has witnessed the commission of a crime with their eyes or ears, or who has knowledge or suspicion of having committed a crime. The FIR can be granted by the defendant himself. An FIR given by the accused can be a denominational and a non-denominational declaration. For example, (i) "A" is charged with the murder of "B". He goes to the police and reports that he murdered 'B' by stabbing him and throwing his body in the river. (Ii) Murders of 'A' 'B' and fears that he will be caught. In order not to arouse suspicion, 'A' informs the police that he saw an unknown person who killed 'B'. In the first instance, the FIR given by the defendant "A" is of a denominational nature and in the second it is not denominational.