IGP orders timely registration of FIRs be ensured

Sindh police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon on Friday chaired a meeting at the Central Police Office Karachi where he ordered strictly ensuring timely registration of FIRs by citizens.

Officials said the meeting was held regarding public complaints received of non-registration of FIRs of serious crimes and their redressal. The meeting was attended by DIGs of Headquarters, IT, AIGs of Complaint Cell, Admin and Operations Sindh.

It reviewed data of court orders received under 22A/B, registration and implementation of FIRs. It was briefed that the citizens approach the courts due to non-registration or delay in the registration of FIRs.

According to the investigation, various reasons have emerged in the complaints regarding non-registration and delay of FIRs. The IGP directed that free registration of FIRs by citizens regarding serious crimes against unknown accused should be ensured and immediate action should be ensured on complaints received regarding non-registration of FIRs.

He directed that departmental action should be taken by changing the police station in-charge and staff under timely and immediate action. Moreover, sessions should be held regarding the performance of the DIG Headquarters, Divisions and District Complaint Cells and Divisional DIGs and district SSPs should ensure registration and redressal of public complaints.

IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon earlier in a meeting issued directions to the additional IG all in Sindh, and the DIGs of CIA, East, South and West ranges. The directions mentioned the apex courts orders during some previous hearing and he said that according to section 154 of the CrPC an FIR is only the first information to the local police about commission of a cognizable offence. For instance, information received from any source that a murder has been committed in such and such village is to be a valid and sufficient basis for registration of an FIR in that regard.

If the information received by the local police about commission of a cognizable offence also contains a version as to how the relevant offence was committed, by whom it was committed and in which background it was committed then that version of the incident is only the version of the informant and nothing more and such version is not to be unreservedly accepted by the investigating officer as the truth or the whole truth.

If was further informed that upon registration of an FIR a criminal “case” comes into existence and that case is to be assigned a number and such case carries the same number till the final decision of the matter.

During the investigation conducted after registration of an FIR, the investigating officer may record any number of versions of the same incident brought to his notice by different persons which versions are to be recorded by him under section 161 of the CrPC in the same case.

No separate FIR is to be recorded for any new version of the same incident brought to the notice of the investigating officer during the investigation of the case.

IGP Memon directed that ordinarily no person is to be arrested straightaway only because he has been nominated as an accused person in an FIR or in any other version of the incident brought to the notice of the investigating officer by any person until the investigating officer feels satisfied that sufficient justification exists for his arrest and for such justification he is to be guided by the relevant provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 and the Police Rules, 1934.

According to the relevant provisions of the said Code and the Rules, a suspect is not to be arrested straightaway or as a matter of course and unless the situation on the ground so warrants, the arrest is to be deferred till such time that sufficient material or evidence becomes available on the record of investigation prima facie satisfying the investigating officer regarding correctness of the allegations levelled against such suspect or regarding his involvement in the crime in issue.

He added that upon conclusion of the investigation the report to be submitted under section 173 of the CrPC is to be based upon the actual facts discovered during the investigation irrespective of the version of the incident advanced by the first informant or any other version brought to the notice of the investigating officer by any other person. He further ordered distributing the same amongst all field units, operations and investigation units and all SHOs to apprise and adhered for compliance under intimation to this office.