Court Assistant
Prepare to Report an Offence and File an FIR
Understand the reporting process, organise the facts and evidence, and check the police procedure relevant to your situation.
Prepare your records and choose the next resource
Use this page for procedural preparation. Read the relevant law explanation and check the official authority's current forms, fees and instructions before filing.
Jurisdiction
Any police station (Zero FIR); it will be transferred to the station with territorial jurisdiction.
Fees
No fee for filing an FIR.
Timeline
Registration and investigation have distinct rules. BNSS Section 187 remand/default-bail periods are not a universal 60/90-day investigation deadline. A limited preliminary inquiry is permitted under Section 173(3) in its specified category; seek advice on delay or refusal.
Required documents
- Written complaint (dictated statements are also accepted)
- Keep identification and contact details available if the official channel requests them; this checklist does not make Aadhaar or a particular ID a universal condition for giving offence information.
- Any supporting evidence: photos, screenshots, medical report
Step-by-step process
- 1Go to the nearest police station or use the state e-FIR portal for eligible offences.
- 2Narrate the incident with date, time, place, description, accused details and witnesses.
- 3The Officer must record it, read it back to you, obtain your signature.
- 4Collect a free copy of the FIR (mandatory under BNSS 173(2)).
- 5If refused: escalate to SP; then approach Magistrate under BNSS 175(3) with an affidavit.