Asked to comment on the Supreme Court’s direction to all States and Union Territories to upload the FIRs on police station websites within 24 hours of registration, State DGP MA Ganapathy said on Thursday that they are yet to receive copy of the apex court directive. “It would take some time to reach us. After we obtain a copy of the same we would study it in details. However, we have decided to develop a centralised website of the police department.
It would be developed at the level of the police headquarters. Besides, the district officers have been directed to develop their respective websites at the earliest to have the FIRs promptly uploaded,” the state’s top cop said.
People of the state have welcomed the SC’s directive as they think that it would spare them making repeated rounds of the police stations to obtain FIR copies. “If the SC directive is acted upon it would diminish the corrupt practices that involves the release of the FIR copies. Things in the police stations would be more transparent than what they are now,” said Sameer, a law student of DAV (PG) College.
A police officer, however, said that necessary infrastructure would have to be put into place before the department ventures to implement the SC’s order.
“There are many police stations, especially in mountainous parts of the state, which are devoid of the internet services. We need the Centre and the state government to release adequate funds to help us take up the project of uploading FIRs on the websites of the police stations or those of the district police’ departments,” he said.
It is learnt that the court has given them time till November 15 to put the mechanism into place. As per the court’s directive, the FIRs must be made available on the websites of the police department concerned or the state governments in 24 hours following their registrations.
However, in case of the difficult terrains where internet connectivity is poor, the time limit is 72 hours.
The bench comprising Justices Deepak Mishra and C Nagappan exempted police authorities from uploading FIRs on sensitive cases pertaining to insurgency and sexual offences against women and children, but said that the decision not to upload the FIRs should not be taken by an officer below the rank of deputy superintendent of police or any person holding equivalent post.
Further, regarding a copy of the FIR not being provided on the ground of being sensitive in nature, the court asked the aggrieved person to approach the superintendent of police, who would constitute a committee of three police officials to examine his complaint. The bench made it clear that the accused cannot take benefit before the courts of law from the fact that FIRs lodged against them have not been uploaded on the website.
It should be mentioned here that the court order came on a PIl filed by ‘Youth Bar Association of India’ that had sought directions to the Centre as well as all states and union territories to order uploading of FIRs within 24 hours.
It argued that when the criminal law is set in motion and liberty of an individual is at stake, he should have the information so that he can take necessary steps to protect his liberty, it is learnt.