This is the police-process command desk for India 2026. You will find 35+ citizen-tested guides spanning FIR, NCR and Zero-FIR registration, RTI to police for case status, defence against fake court summonses, fake e-challans and “digital arrest” scams, police-verification delays, bail, private complaints, and CBI / Vigilance escalation. Every guide is free, no login, no payment. The legal spine is the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 (BNSS — Sections 173, 175, 223, replacing the old CrPC 154/155/200), and the binding Supreme Court ruling in Lalita Kumari v. State of U.P. (2014) which made FIR-registration mandatory for cognisable offences.
Quick Answer — the 4-minute citizen drill if a police station refuses your FIR: (1) Insist on writing — under BNSS Section 173 the SHO must register a cognisable FIR. (2) If refused, send the same complaint by post to the Superintendent of Police under BNSS Section 173(4) with a copy to the District Magistrate. (3) If still refused, file a private complaint under BNSS Section 223 before the Judicial Magistrate. (4) Run a parallel RTI for FIR status — the Supreme Court in Lalita Kumari (2014) made registration non-discretionary. There is no such thing as a “digital arrest”; hang up.
The SHO has no discretion to refuse a cognisable FIR — Lalita Kumari v. State of U.P. (2014) is binding on every police station. Zero FIR removes jurisdiction as an excuse: any station must record it and forward.
Forged government communications attract BNS Section 336 (forgery) + 318 (cheating) + IT Act 66D (cheating by personation using a computer resource) — up to 7 years.
There is no legal concept of a “digital arrest” in BNSS — every arrest must be in person with a written warrant or under Section 35 BNSS. Hang up, screenshot, report.
Police verification is a rule-based, non-discretionary process under the Passport Rules 1980 and the Model Police Verification Manual. Delay beyond 21 days is RTI-eligible.
BNSS Sections 35 / 43 / 47 codify arrest grounds, intimation rights and the 24-hour magistrate-production rule. D.K. Basu v. State of W.B. (1997) still binds every arresting officer.
If the SHO and SP both refuse, BNSS Section 223 lets the citizen approach a Judicial Magistrate directly. CBI / Vigilance / NHRC / Lokpal cover corruption and rights-violation tracks.
E-challan disputes run under the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 (amended 2019) and the MV Compounding Rules. Genuine challans are paid on parivahan.gov.in only.
Last reviewed: 12 May 2026 — RTI Wiki editorial team.