adminWhat is Zero FIR
Zero FIR is an FIR that can be registered by any police station, irrespective of jurisdiction, when it receives a complaint regarding a cognisable offence.
No regular FIR number is assigned at this stage.
After receiving the Zero FIR, the revenant police station registers a fresh FIR and starts the investigation.
It is meant to help victims of serious crimes, especially women and children, to lodge a complaint quickly and conveniently, without having to go from one police station to another.
Legal Basis of a Zero FIR
Zero FIR was introduced after the recommendation of the Justice Verma Committee, which was set up after the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape case.
The provision of a Zero FIR is also supported by various judgments of the Supreme Court and High Courts.
Case law
Lalita Kumari vs Govt. of UP (2014), the Supreme Court held that registration of an FIR is mandatory when information discloses the commission of a cognizable offence.
Legal provision about B.N.S.S ,2023
Section 173(1) of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) provides for Zero FIR.
Section 173 of BNSS mandates that the FIR be transferred to the station which would have jurisdiction over the place where the crime was committed, within 15 days.