What is
Complaint and its Importance
A complaint
means a grievance expressed by a person to state certain things/facts. Any
person who has a certain kind of grievance to some fact, condition, state of
affairs etc. may put a complaint to Station House Officer within the local
jurisdiction of whose police station that incident has occurred. A complaint
can be public as well as private in nature. Any person can file a
complaint and it
is not necessary that only an aggrieved person can file a complaint. Many a
times it is seen that in rape cases the victim is often not in a condition to
file a complaint due to stress and fear. In such cases, any person having
knowledge of incident like parents, relatives, friends etc. are allowed to file
a complaint. A criminal case begins from the filing of a First
Information Report (FIR).
It is the first stage in criminal proceedings. Hence, the importance of a
complaint throughout the case can never be under emphasized.
Many a
times it is seen that a person is unable to get justice even after setting the
criminal law in motion due to not properly mentioning/stating the relevant
facts in their complaint. The same even leads to dismissal of the case by the
Courts. There are various reasons associated with the fact that why sometimes
even genuine complaints fail in the court of law. One such reason is that most of
the times the police officials on duty at the time of registering complaint are
not themselves vigilant. Second is generally the public misses out important
and relevant facts and emphasize on overstating the true facts of the case.
Where to
file the Complaint
The
informant/ complainant should go to the police station having jurisdiction over
the area (where the offence is committed) and report to officer
in-charge/ station house officer. In case information is given
on telephone, the informant / complainant should subsequently go to the police
station for registration of F.I.R.
Who is the
officer on duty?
If the officer on duty is not
present, what are the alternatives to get the paperwork done (complaint, FIR)?
The senior
most Police officer available in the Police Station at any point of time, (SHO
or his subordinate above the rank of a constable) is the officer-in-charge, or
the duty officer.
If
the SHO / Inspector is not present, a Sub-Inspector or Head Constable will be the officer-in-charge, who will
receive complaint or lodge FIRs.
What
to do if the Police Station refuses to register the FIR?
In all
cognizable offences it is mandatory on the part of the police station to
register the FIR. However, if the Police Station refuses to register the FIR, a
complaint shall be made to the senior police officer. The complaint can be made
to the Concerned Circle Officer, Addl. SP or the Superintendent of Police of
the concerned District. These officers will get the FIR registered and
investigated
Are any kind
of fee or charges to be paid to police for registration of FIR?
No, Police
is not to be paid any fee or money for registering the FIR and subsequent
investigation. If anybody in the police station makes such a demand, a
complaint should immediately be made to the senior police officers.
Important
things to be kept in mind while filing FIR
It
must be filed immediately. If there is any delay, mention it in the form.
If given
orally, it MUST be taken down in writing and explained to you by the officer in
charge, at a Police Station within
the jurisdiction of which the offence has taken place.
Be very
specific
There
should be four copies recorded simultaneously, with carbon sheets in
place.
It must be
recorded in first person. Do check in which language this needs to be done.
Avoid
complicated, technical words, terminologies and unnecessary details.
Try not to
overwrite or score out words.
Ensure that
the arrival/departure time is mentioned in the F.I.R and in the Daily Diary
(DD) Register at the Police Station
It must
contain authentic information, including these necessary bits of information:
What
information do you want to convey?
– In what capacity are you providing the information?
– Who is the perpetrator of the crime?
– Who has the crime been committed against – victim /complainant?
– When was it committed (time)?
– Where was it committed (specific place /locality/area)?
– Why do you think it was committed?
– Which way (actual process involved) was it committed?
– Were there any witnesses? (Names will be required here.)
– What were the losses? (Money /valuables/ possessions /physical damage etc.)
– What were the traces at the scene of the crime? (Weapons/evidence if any.)
– In what capacity are you providing the information?
– Who is the perpetrator of the crime?
– Who has the crime been committed against – victim /complainant?
– When was it committed (time)?
– Where was it committed (specific place /locality/area)?
– Why do you think it was committed?
– Which way (actual process involved) was it committed?
– Were there any witnesses? (Names will be required here.)
– What were the losses? (Money /valuables/ possessions /physical damage etc.)
– What were the traces at the scene of the crime? (Weapons/evidence if any.)
After
completion, you MUST carefully read the document and sign it.
It must be
recorded by the officer in the book maintained for this purpose by the State
Government.
You have
the right to and must get a copy of it for your records. You are not
required to pay for the same.
You are not
required by law to give an affidavit.
Never file
a false complaint or give wrong information to the police. You can be
prosecuted under law for giving wrong information or for misleading the
police.—[Section 203, Indian Penal Code 1860]
Having
known all these facts, we can generally succeed in a court of law by simply
putting in required information and get the accused behind the bars.
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