FIR Copy Request Application

To, The Station House Officer [police_station] Date: [application_date] Subject: Request for a certified copy of FIR No. [fir_number] Sir/Madam, 1. I, [applicant_name], residing at [applicant_address], request a certified copy of the First Information Report bearing number [fir_number], registered at your police station on [fir_date]. 2. MY INTEREST IN THE MATTER I am the [your_role] in the said case. 3. PURPOSE [purpose] 4. I am entitled to a copy of the first information report, and request that it be furnished to me free of cost. 5. I enclose a copy of my identity proof and request that the copy be issued at the earliest. Yours faithfully, [applicant_name] [applicant_address] Contact: [contact_number] ACKNOWLEDGMENT Received on ______________ by ______________________ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── A COPY OF THE FIR IS YOUR RIGHT, NOT A FAVOUR The informant is entitled to a copy of the first information report FREE OF COST, forthwith on registration. You should not be asked to pay for it, and you should not have to explain why you want it. CHECK ONLINE FIRST. Most State police forces publish FIRs on their websites, and they are generally required to be uploaded within a short period of registration — commonly twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Searching there is faster than attending the police station, and gives you a copy the same day. Certain categories are deliberately NOT published online — offences against women and children, sexual offences, and matters affecting public order or national security. In those cases a written application is the route, and the accused may need to apply to the Magistrate instead. IF THE COPY IS REFUSED: 1. Apply in writing, as above, and insist on an acknowledgment with a date on it. 2. Escalate to the Superintendent of Police in writing. 3. File an application before the jurisdictional MAGISTRATE, who can direct that the copy be furnished. 4. An RTI application to the police department is also available, and is often the fastest lever in practice because it carries its own statutory timeline. IF YOU ARE THE ACCUSED and the FIR is not online, you can apply to the Magistrate for a certified copy. You do not have to wait to be served. Knowing what is actually alleged is the first step in answering it, and it is the point at which anticipatory bail becomes a real option.