In the age of digitization and technology, the electronic medium courtesy the world wide web has made many ways of life much easier, faster and convenient.

Internet has surely taken over as the more preferred choice of communication than the age-old physical medium of interaction and in the longer run made the world a much smaller and better connected place to co-exist.

Net banking and payment wallets have facilitated the ease of doing business transaction and financial payments, bringing about so much relief and saved precious time which can be deployed on constructive things.

On similar lines, one can also explore the online platforms to get access to essential services which otherwise would need both time and physical presence.

One such practical example is that of lodging an First Information Report (FIR) online with the police, if you happen to be a victim of a cognizable offence.

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What Is A First Information Report (FIR)

Whenever a victim of a cognizable offence lodges a complaint with the police, the law enforcing force prepares a written document as an acknowledgment of the complaint which in legal terms for a layman is known as First Information Report. The procedure for filing an FIR is stated under the Section 154 of Criminal Procedure Code, 1973.

Who And How Can One Lodge An FIR 

A First Information Report can be lodged by either going physically to the police station or even through an online medium / platform. A very basic but important fact to note is that an e-FIR or online FIR can be lodged by the victim or someone on his behalf.

An e-FIR can be filed only for cognizable offences. If such a case or scenario exists, the police can even make the arrest without the need of a court order. It may be noted that in case of non-cognizable offences such as assault, stalking, cheating, etc, only a complaint can be filed online.

So here are the steps one can follow to file an e-FIR or online First Information Report. For an illustrative purpose, the steps to file an e-FIR on the Delhi Police website

Step 1: One needs to visit the official website of Delhi Police i.e. www.delhipolice.nic.in. On similar lines, the complainant can visit the website of the state police under whose jurisdiction the crime has taken place.

Step 2: Once you are on the Delhi Police website, select the 'Services' option and scroll down the menu list.

Step 3: Choose the option 'Complaints' if you want to file a police complaint online, from the online service box.

Step 4: File or lodge your FIR/complaint accordingly to the specific category of offence / crime it falls under.

Step 5: After your complaint has been submitted, you will receive a copy of your e-FIR in PDF format. Download it and take a print out of the report.

Here are some basic information one needs to keep in mind while lodging an e-FIR:

One need to fill up the personal details of a complainant while filing an online FIR on any of the state police portals. The following options will be present-

Enter the complainant's name: The name of the person who wants to lodge the e-FIR needs to be filled

Enter the father's/mother's name: Fill in the name of the complainant's parents

Enter the complainant's Address- Enter the full address of the person who is filing / lodging the complaint

Enter complainant's mobile number- The mobile or cell number of the complainant needs to be mentioned

Date of incident: The date on which the incident took place needs to be mentioned

Time of the incident: The time at which the incident took place needs to be furnished in the FIR

Description of the case (any other details)

Enter complainant's email ID: Email-Id is very important because a copy of your e-FIR will be sent to you via email for verification