Zero FIR: 5 Reasons Why Every Woman Should Know About It

Zero FIR means that one can file an FIR in any police station, that is, irrespective of the place of incident or jurisdiction. The same can later be transferred to the police station having jurisdiction for the investigation to begin.

Police officers failing to observe the registration of Zero FIR are subject to prosecution under IPC Section 166A and departmental action. In the case of certain incidents, the police has to start acting immediately. They have to collect samples, get information from eyewitnesses, etc. At these times, the police cannot excuse themselves claiming that the case does not fall under their jurisdiction. This will hamper the objective of the police force to maintain law and order. Anyone who is in urgent need of help is thus spared the hassles of making rounds to different police stations to get the complaint registered.

Five reasons why every woman should know about Zero FIR

The December 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape case led to several amendments in the existing legal system of India and Zero FIR is one such amendment. The difference between an FIR and Zero FIR is that, in the former, the FIR is registered in the police station by a serial number. In the case of the latter, the FIR is registered in a police station other than the jurisdictional police station without a serial number or with the serial number '0'. This unnumbered FIR is later handed over to the concerned police station where it gets numbered and is further acted upon. Here are five reasons why every woman should know about Zero FIR.

1. Initiates immediate action

Once a Zero FIR is filed, the police cannot transfer the case to the appropriate police station without any initial action or investigation. Crimes like rape, murder, sexual assault, accident, etc require the police to act immediately. That is, they need to collect samples, information from eyewitnesses, circumstantial evidence, etc. Such collections can be done only after filing an FIR because such evidence are crucial and protecting them from corruption or deterioration is necessary.

The difference between an FIR and Zero FIR is that, in the former, the FIR is registered in the police station by a serial number. In case of the latter, the FIR is registered in a police station other than the jurisdictional police station without a serial number or with the serial number '0'.

2. The police station cannot deny registration

According to section 154 CrPC, "If any information relating to the commission of a cognizable offense is received by any police station, the said police station is duty-bound to register the FIR. However, if the crime has not occurred in the jurisdiction of the said police station, then after registering the Zero FIR, the same has to be transferred to the concerned police station for investigation, where the offense has been committed<...> A zero FIR can be filed in any police station irrespective of their residence or the place of occurrence of crime." So any police officer cannot deny the registration of such an FIR even if the offense is committed outside the police station's jurisdiction.

3. The victim is protected

The concept of Zero FIR was to ensure that the victim or informant is protected against procedural legal technicalities. It also makes sure that justice is not delayed or denied. The procedure is helpful for a smooth proceeding to take place.

4. Beneficial while travelling

If a crime is committed while travelling, the victim can reach out to the nearest police station during their journey and lodge a Zero FIR. It then becomes the responsibility of the police station to send it to the appropriate police station.

5. Helps in spreading awareness

The idea of Zero FIR is fairly new and often the police themselves are unaware of the reform. In a Hyderabad rape case, the police officers refused to file an FIR citing lack of territorial jurisdiction as the reason. Even citizens themselves are often not aware of their legal rights and do not know that they can now lodge Zero FIR in any police station of the country. Once we are ourselves aware of our rights, we can contribute in spreading education and awareness among the judicial system and the common mass.