Zero FIR
Definition
FIR registered at any police station regardless of territorial jurisdiction, then transferred to the station with jurisdiction. BNSS 173(1) proviso codifies the practice.
- Legal basis
- Section 173 BNSS 2023 (Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita)
- Core purpose
- Allows immediate FIR registration without needing correct territorial jurisdiction
Common questions
What happens when an FIR is filed at the wrong police station?+
The FIR is registered there anyway, then transferred to the police station that has the actual territorial jurisdiction over where the crime occurred. This is called a Zero FIR and is recognized under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023.
Why would someone file an FIR at a police station without jurisdiction?+
It ensures the complaint gets recorded immediately without delay. The person filing does not need to know which station has jurisdiction or travel to the correct one first. The registration is valid and the case moves to the right station automatically.
Is a Zero FIR legally valid?+
Yes. The law explicitly allows registration at any police station regardless of territorial jurisdiction. The FIR itself remains valid, the procedural transfer happens behind the scenes.
Related terms
- Arrest Memo
- A written record of an arrest, naming the time and place, attested by a witness and given to the arrested person, required...
- BNSS 2023
- Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, the statute that replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure. It introduced a mandatory forensic-scene-visit requirement for offences...
- Charge Sheet
- The final report an investigating officer files with a magistrate at the close of investigation, summarising evidence and naming the accused to...
- Charge Sheet (Section 193)
- The police report at the close of investigation, filed within 60 or 90 days of arrest depending on the punishment band. Forensic...
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- Dying Declaration
- Statement of a person about cause of death or circumstances of the transaction resulting in death. Admissible under BSA 2023 Section 26...
- E-FIR
- An FIR registered electronically by a complainant; now expressly recognised under Section 173 BNSS, with a 3-day window to record the complainant's...
- FAR
- First Accident Report filed by the investigating officer at a road traffic accident scene; FAR plus MFR (Final Form) feed the chargesheet.
- First Information Report (FIR)
- The written record an officer in charge of a police station prepares on receiving information about a cognizable offence, which sets the...
- Hit-and-Run
- Causing death by rash and negligent driving and leaving without reporting. BNS 106(2) prescribes up to 10 years imprisonment plus fine where...
- Homicide
- Killing of a human being by another, classified under BNS 100 to 106 as culpable homicide and murder, with exceptions like grave...
Explained in these topics
- BNSS 2023: Investigation, FIR, Search and SeizureAn FIR registered at a police station that does not have territorial jurisdiction, later transferred to the station that does. Codified under Section 173 BNSS.
- Criminal Investigation: From Complaint to Charge SheetAn FIR registered at a police station that would not otherwise have territorial jurisdiction over the offence, later transferred to the station that does.
- Criminal Investigations: Deaths, Assaults, Poisoning, Accidents