Zero FIR and Electronic Information Under Section 173 BNSS

Electronic information and the three-day rule

Section 173(1)(ii) says that information given by electronic communication is taken on record on being signed within three days by the person giving it. The text does not say that the police must first issue an attendance direction within three days, or that every electronic report is automatically a completed FIR.

Check the police authority's official reporting channel and authentication procedure. The statutory wording alone does not establish a universal online portal or a universal method of digital signing.

When a preliminary enquiry is permitted

Section 173(3) concerns cognizable offences punishable with imprisonment of three years or more but less than seven years. Having considered the nature and gravity of the offence, and with prior permission from an officer of at least Deputy Superintendent of Police rank, the officer in charge may conduct a preliminary enquiry to ascertain whether a prima facie case exists within fourteen days, or proceed with investigation where such a case exists.

This is not a general fourteen-day waiting period for all FIRs. The earlier article incorrectly included the seven-year endpoint and omitted important conditions.

Copy of the information and safeguards

Section 173(2) requires the recorded information to be supplied forthwith, free of cost, to the informant or victim. The earlier article's blanket suggestion that informants previously had to pay for an FIR copy has been removed.

Section 173(1) also contains specific safeguards for women reporting the listed offences and for persons with temporary or permanent mental or physical disabilities reporting those offences. The exact offence and the statutory conditions must be checked; these safeguards should not be reduced to a generic online-filing instruction.

If the police refuse to record the information

Section 173(4) permits an aggrieved person to send the substance of the information, in writing and by post, to the Superintendent of Police concerned. If satisfied that it discloses a cognizable offence, that officer must investigate or direct an investigation as provided by the section. The provision also addresses an application to the Magistrate if this fails. The requirements governing a Magistrate's investigation order must be checked separately.

A procedural dispute does not itself establish an automatic right to quashing, compensation or arrest of the officer. The appropriate remedy depends on the facts and applicable law.

Official source and correction

Official BNSS text: Sections 173, 175 and 531.

Correction — 20 October 2026: Rewritten to correct the statute's name, electronic signing requirement, preliminary-enquiry conditions and unsupported claims about the earlier law and automatic remedies. This is a statutory overview, not advice on an individual complaint.