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Know Your Rights When Making a Police Complaint
Understand reporting rights, records to keep, and possible escalation routes. Check the applicable procedure for your circumstances.
Prepare your records and choose the next resource
Useful records to organise for Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. These prompts are not a mandatory filing checklist.
- The FIR or complaint acknowledgement, alleged sections and relevant police station.
- Dates of arrest, production, remand orders and the next listed hearing, where applicable.
- Copies of notices and orders; ask counsel to calculate any procedural deadline from the record.
Your rights
- Give information about a cognizable offence under BNSS Section 173 and obtain the recorded status. Section 173(3) permits a limited preliminary inquiry in its specified category; an acknowledgement is not itself an FIR.
- FIR can be filed at ANY police station (zero FIR); it is later transferred.
- You are entitled to a free copy of the FIR (Sec. 173(2) BNSS).
- If police refuse, escalate to the Superintendent of Police, then to a Magistrate under Sec. 175(3) BNSS.
How to file
- Go to the police station with a written complaint (or dictate it).
- Include: date, time, place, description of incident, accused details, witnesses.
- Sign the FIR and take an acknowledged copy home.
- Online reporting categories differ by State and portal. Electronic information under Section 173 must be signed within three days; check how the official channel accepts that signature.
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