ZERO FIR…

ZERO FIR

Zero FIR is an First Information Report (FIR), which can be registered by any police station, irrespective of jurisdiction, upon receiving a complaint related to a cognizable offence.
o No regular FIR number is assigned at this stage.
o The concerned police station registers a fresh FIR and starts the investigation on receipt of the Zero FIR,
o 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.
o After Nirbhaya Case in 2012, the Justice Verma Committee proposed the Zero FIR system.
o Section 173(1) of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) provides for lodging of Zero FIR.
o 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.
o Section 154 of CrPC also provides for Zero FIR.
o It is also meant to ensure that the evidence and witnesses are not lost or tampered with due to delays in filing the complaint.