To file an FIR, go to any police station, give a written or oral account of what happened, check that the recorded version matches what you said, sign it, and take your free copy before you leave. If the offence is cognizable the police are bound to register it; if they refuse, write to the Deputy Commissioner of Police and, after that, apply to the Magistrate under Section 175(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Below is what to write, a sample complaint you can adapt (in English and in Hindi), how zero FIRs and online FIRs work in Delhi, and what to do when the police will not register your complaint.
What an FIR is, and when you need one
A First Information Report is the written record of the first information the police receive about a cognizable offence. A cognizable offence is one where the police can investigate, and in many cases arrest, without first getting a court’s permission. Theft, cheating, assault causing hurt, criminal breach of trust, dowry harassment, sexual offences and cyber fraud are all cognizable.
The FIR is what sets a criminal investigation in motion. It is recorded under Section 173 BNSS, which from 1 July 2024 governs how information about offences is taken down.
The Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench held in Lalita Kumari (2013) that where the information discloses a cognizable offence, registration is mandatory. The police cannot refuse simply because they doubt your story or think the matter is minor. That is now subject to one limited exception set out in the BNSS itself, covered below.
When it is not an FIR. For non-cognizable offences, such as simple hurt, some kinds of insult or minor threats, the police record the complaint in a separate register (commonly called an NCR) and refer you to the Magistrate under Section 174 BNSS. They cannot investigate those without the Magistrate’s order.
Step by step at the police station
1. Go to the nearest police station, or call 112 in an emergency. You do not have to find the “right” station first. More on this under zero FIR below.
2. Give your account — preferably in writing. You can speak and have the duty officer write it down, but a short written complaint that you bring with you is better. It keeps your words in your own order and stops important facts being dropped. Take two copies.
3. Ask for it to be read back. If you speak, the law requires the officer to write it down and read it over to you. Check names, dates, times, places and amounts. Correct anything wrong before you sign.
4. Sign it. Sign only what is accurate. If you cannot read the language it is written in, ask for it to be read and explained.
5. Take your free copy. Section 173(2) BNSS requires a copy of the FIR to be given to the informant or the victim immediately and free of cost. Check that it carries the FIR number, date, police station and the sections applied.
6. Note the investigating officer’s name and number. You will need it to follow up.
Special protections. Where the complaint concerns certain sexual offences or acid attacks, the information must be recorded by a woman police officer. Where the victim has a temporary or permanent disability, the statement must be recorded at their home or another convenient place, with an interpreter or special educator where needed, and video-recorded.
How long it takes. At a police station, recording a routine FIR usually takes somewhere between an hour and a few hours, depending on how busy the station is and how clear your written complaint is.
What to write in the complaint
Keep it factual and in order. A good complaint answers six questions.
- Who you are — full name, parentage, address and phone number.
- What happened — in the order it happened, one event per paragraph.
- When — the date and approximate time of each event.
- Where — the exact place, with a landmark if possible.
- Who did it — names if you know them; otherwise a description (height, clothes, vehicle number).
- What was lost or what injury was caused — amounts, item descriptions, serial numbers, and whether you received medical treatment.
Also list the witnesses, and mention any evidence you have — CCTV, screenshots, bank statements, medical papers — without handing over your only originals. If you are reporting late, give the reason for the delay.
Avoid guessing, exaggerating or adding people who were not involved. An FIR can be read back to you in court years later, and anything inaccurate will be used to question the rest.
A sample complaint (English)
The situation below is invented for illustration; every name and detail is a placeholder.
To, The Station House Officer, Police Station [name], [District], Delhi
Subject — Complaint regarding theft of mobile phone and wallet, for registration of FIR
Sir / Madam,
I, [full name], son/daughter of [parent’s name], resident of [full address], mobile [number], state as follows.
On [date], at about [time], I was waiting at the bus stop near [landmark], [area], Delhi.
Two men on a black motorcycle, registration number partly seen as DL-[xx]-[xxxx], stopped beside me. The man riding pillion snatched my bag and they drove away towards [direction].
The bag contained my [make and model] mobile phone (IMEI [number]), a wallet with about ₹[amount] in cash, my debit card and my driving licence.
[Name and number of witness], who was also at the bus stop, saw the incident.
I have blocked my SIM and debit card. I can identify the pillion rider if I see him again.
I request you to register an FIR, investigate the matter and take action against the persons responsible.
[Signature] [Name] Date — [DD Month YYYY]
FIR kaise likhe — Hindi mein namoona
Aap shikayat Hindi mein bhi de sakte hain. Police station mein aksar Hindi mein hi likha jaata hai. Upar wali baatein hi likhni hain — aap kaun hain, kya hua, kab, kahan, kisne kiya, aur kya nuksaan hua. Neeche ek namoona hai (sab naam aur vivaran kalpanik hain).
सेवा में, थाना प्रभारी (SHO), थाना [नाम], [ज़िला], दिल्ली
विषय — मोबाइल फ़ोन और पर्स छीनने की घटना के संबंध में FIR दर्ज करने हेतु प्रार्थना-पत्र
महोदय / महोदया,
मैं, [पूरा नाम], पुत्र/पुत्री [पिता/माता का नाम], निवासी [पूरा पता], मोबाइल [नंबर], निम्नलिखित निवेदन करता/करती हूँ।
दिनांक [तारीख़] को लगभग [समय] बजे मैं [इलाक़ा] में [निशानी] के पास बस स्टॉप पर खड़ा/खड़ी था/थी।
काली मोटरसाइकिल पर दो व्यक्ति आए, जिसका नंबर आंशिक रूप से DL-[xx]-[xxxx] दिखा। पीछे बैठे व्यक्ति ने मेरा बैग छीन लिया और दोनों [दिशा] की ओर भाग गए।
बैग में मेरा [कंपनी और मॉडल] मोबाइल (IMEI [नंबर]), लगभग ₹[राशि] नकद वाला पर्स, डेबिट कार्ड और ड्राइविंग लाइसेंस था।
मौक़े पर मौजूद [गवाह का नाम और नंबर] ने घटना देखी।
अतः आपसे निवेदन है कि FIR दर्ज कर उचित कार्रवाई करें।
[हस्ताक्षर] [नाम] दिनांक — [तारीख़]
Likhne ke baad ek copy apne paas rakhein, aur FIR darj hone ke baad uski muft copy zaroor lein. Agar police FIR likhne se mana kare, to neeche diye gaye kadam uthayein.
Zero FIR — you can report at any police station
Section 173(1) BNSS allows information about a cognizable offence to be given at a police station “irrespective of the area where the offence is committed”. This is the zero FIR. The station records it and transfers it to the police station that has jurisdiction, which then investigates.
This matters most when time is short — a sexual offence, an injury, a kidnapping, or a fraud where money is still moving. Report at the nearest station and let the police sort out jurisdiction.
Online FIRs and e-FIRs in Delhi
The BNSS allows information to be given by electronic communication. When it is, the informant must sign it within three days for it to be taken on record. In practice, what you can file online depends on the facility each police force offers.
Delhi Police accepts online FIRs through its website (delhipolice.gov.in) and app for certain theft cases — typically motor vehicle theft and property theft where the thief is not known and no violence was involved. It also accepts online lost-property reports. A lost report is only an acknowledgement that you informed the police; it is not an FIR and does not start an investigation.
For anything involving violence, a known accused, or a serious offence, go to a police station or call 112.
Cyber fraud. If money has been taken from your account, call the national cyber fraud helpline 1930 immediately and report on cybercrime.gov.in. Speed matters here — the aim is to get the money frozen before it moves on. You can pursue an FIR through the portal or at the police station alongside that report.
If the police refuse to register your FIR
Refusal is common, especially in property, money and family disputes. Work through these steps in order.
1. Ask for the refusal to be recorded. Politely ask the duty officer or SHO why the complaint is not being registered. Keep a receipted copy of your written complaint — ask for a stamp or signature on your copy, or send it by post.
2. Check whether a preliminary enquiry applies. For cognizable offences punishable with three years or more but less than seven years, Section 173(3) BNSS allows the officer in charge, with the permission of an officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent (in Delhi, an ACP), to conduct a preliminary enquiry to see whether there is a prima facie case. That enquiry must be completed within 14 days. It is not a licence to sit on a complaint indefinitely.
3. Write to the Deputy Commissioner of Police. Section 173(4) BNSS lets you send the substance of your information in writing, by post, to the Superintendent of Police. In Delhi, that role is performed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of the district. If satisfied that a cognizable offence is disclosed, the DCP must either investigate or direct an investigation. Send it by registered or speed post and keep the receipt and tracking record.
4. Apply to the Magistrate under Section 175(3) BNSS. If the police still do not act, you can apply to the Magistrate with the power to take cognizance, asking for an order directing investigation. The application must be supported by an affidavit, and it must show that you first approached the DCP under Section 173(4). The Magistrate may make an enquiry and must consider the police officer’s submissions before passing an order. Depending on the court’s list, this typically takes from a few weeks to a few months.
5. Or file a private complaint. You can also file a complaint directly before the Magistrate, who may take cognizance of it under Section 210 BNSS and examines you and your witnesses on oath under Section 223. This route puts more of the work on you.
A police officer who fails to record information about certain serious offences — including specified sexual offences, acid attacks and trafficking — commits an offence under Section 199 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), punishable with rigorous imprisonment and a fine.
After the FIR is registered
- Keep your copy safe and note the FIR number, date and police station on every letter you send afterwards.
- Cooperate with the investigating officer — give your statement, identify property, attend medical examination if needed.
- Ask for updates. Section 193(3) BNSS requires the police to inform the informant or victim of the progress of the investigation, by any means including electronic communication, within 90 days.
- Watch for the final report. When investigation ends, the police file either a chargesheet or a closure report. If it is a closure report, you are entitled to be heard before the Magistrate accepts it, and you can file a protest petition.
- Many Delhi FIRs can be viewed online on the Delhi Police website, except those the police classify as sensitive.
If you are the one named in an FIR
Do not ignore it, and do not go to the police station to “explain” without advice. Depending on the facts, the options include anticipatory bail under Section 482 BNSS before any arrest, regular bail after arrest, and — where the FIR discloses no offence or is plainly an abuse of process — a petition to the High Court to quash it under Section 528 BNSS. Our bail practice at Tis Hazari explains how bail applications run in Delhi.
A false FIR is itself an offence
Giving false information to the police to harm someone can be punished under Section 217 BNS, and bringing a false criminal charge under Section 248 BNS. File what happened, as it happened. If a dispute is really about money or property, say so plainly; dressing a civil dispute up as a crime usually backfires.
What it costs
Registering an FIR is free, and so is your copy. There is no fee to write to the DCP apart from postage. Court fees on an application to the Magistrate are nominal. What costs money is legal help — drafting the complaint, preparing the affidavit and appearing before the Magistrate — and that depends on how much drafting and how many hearings the matter needs.
When to involve a lawyer
You do not need a lawyer to file an FIR. It is worth taking advice when the police are refusing to register it, when the offence is serious, when the complaint arises out of a business, property or matrimonial dispute (where the police are most likely to call it “civil”), or when you are the person accused.
Manuja Law Partners handles criminal matters across the Delhi district courts — see our criminal defence practice at Tis Hazari, Patiala House and Saket, and our work on 498A and domestic violence cases. We cannot promise what the police or a court will do, but we can make sure your complaint says what it needs to and reaches the right officer. Call 99115 44811 or write to manujalawyers@gmail.com.
This article explains the general procedure for registering an FIR in Delhi and is not legal advice on any particular matter. The sample complaints are illustrative only; adapt them to your own facts and take advice where the offence is serious or the police refuse to act.