Sample RTI for FIR, charge-sheet, closure report — 2026

A First Information Report (FIR) is the formal record of a cognizable offence under §154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 (now §173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 in force from 1 July 2024). The police are bound to register an FIR; non-registration is itself an offence.

• §154 CrPC 1973 / §173 BNSS 2023 — every cognizable offence MUST be registered as an FIR. Mandatory. Lalita Kumari v. State of UP (2014) 2 SCC 1 — Constitution Bench: registration is mandatory; preliminary enquiry only in 7 specified categories.
• §156(3) CrPC / §175(3) BNSS — if police refuse, the citizen can directly approach the Magistrate of First Class with a written complaint. The Magistrate can direct registration + investigation.
• §173(2) CrPC / §193 BNSS — charge-sheet must be filed in 60 / 90 days (depending on offence severity). Closure report = “B-summary” (cause unknown) or “C-summary” (false complaint).
• Public-authority status — every State Police Department is a public authority under §2(h) of the RTI Act. State RTI Rules apply.

1. Police refusing to register — most common. Cited as “preliminary enquiry needed” or “wrong jurisdiction”.
2. Wrong jurisdiction — police-station boundaries; the actual incident is in another PS area.
3. Investigating officer transferred — file lying with SHO awaiting reassignment.
4. Charge-sheet pending forensic / postmortem report — file in “investigation in progress”.
5. B-summary / closure being applied for without notice to you — you have a right to be heard before B-summary is accepted by Magistrate.
6. Complainant copy delayed — even though FIR is registered, the certified copy is not given to you.
7. High-profile case — politically sensitive matters get stalled.
8. Bribe expectation — rare but real. RTI surfaces the file movement.

1. Step 1 — Locate your complaint. Date filed, PS name, complaint reference (or just the date if no number was given).
2. Step 2 — Identify the right office. SP (rural districts) / CP (urban / metro). State Cyber Cell for cyber fraud above the local-PS threshold.
3. Step 3 — Draft the RTI. Use the sample below. Include incident date, PS visited, complaint reference (if any).
4. Step 4 — File parallel §156(3) complaint if FIR not registered. This is NOT an RTI — it is a CrPC / BNSS complaint to the Magistrate. RTI runs in parallel.
5. Step 5 — Wait 30 days for RTI. Use the reply at the §156(3) hearing.
6. Step 6 — Escalate. §19(1) First Appeal in 30 days for the RTI side. Magistrate's order for the FIR side.

To,
The Public Information Officer,
Office of the Commissioner of Police / Superintendent of Police,
[District / City], [State]

Subject: Application under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005 -
       Status of complaint dated [DD-MM-YYYY] / FIR no [XXX]

Date: [DD Month YYYY]

Sir / Madam,

1. I, [Your full name], a citizen of India residing at [address], am filing
   this application under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005 seeking the
   following records:

       Complaint dated   : [DD/MM/YYYY] (filed at PS [name])
       FIR / DD number   : [if registered, the number]
       Type              : [FIR registration / FIR copy / Charge-sheet /
                            Closure report / B-summary objection]

2. Information sought:

   (a) Current status of my complaint as on date of reply, with date of last
       action and the date when each next step is expected.

   (b) Certified copy of the FIR (if registered) under §154 CrPC / §173 BNSS.

   (c) If FIR is not registered, the certified copy of the noting recording
       the reason for non-registration, citing the Lalita Kumari guidelines.

   (d) Name + designation of the Investigating Officer (IO) and the
       Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) supervising the case.

   (e) Charge-sheet status (if filed): date, court, copy.

   (f) Closure report status (if filed): date, type (B-summary / C-summary),
       and the procedure for my objection / Naraz petition.

   (g) The state SOP / Police Circular governing the jurisdiction of this PS
       vs Cyber Cell / Special Cell / SIT for the offence type.

   (h) Grievance Register entries pertaining to FIR-registration matters in
       this PS during the period 1 January 2024 onwards.

   (i) Name and contact of the FAA for this office.

3. Fee: Rs 10 IPO in favour of "Accounts Officer, [Office name]".

4. Lalita Kumari ground: I respectfully invoke the Constitution Bench in
   Lalita Kumari v. State of UP (2014) 2 SCC 1, paragraphs 120 + 121, which
   held that registration of an FIR is mandatory under §154 CrPC and that
   refusal to register is itself an actionable wrong.

5. Severance + transfer per §10 + §6(3); reply within 30 days per §7(1).

[Signature, name, address, phone, email, date.]
Encl.: Rs 10 IPO + photocopy of complaint + acknowledgement.

• Asking police why they didn't register FIR — RTI gives the noting, not the reason. Reframe as “the noting + circular cited”.
• Filing only RTI without §156(3) — RTI gets information; §156(3) gets action. Both are needed for FIR refusal cases.
• Wrong jurisdiction — verify PS jurisdiction by incident location. Not your home address.
• No fee — non-acceptance memo. Always include IPO.
• Asking for IO's call recordings — likely §8(1)(g) / §8(1)(h) refused. Reframe as “the file noting recording the IO's findings”.

Both, parallel. RTI gets you the file noting + the SOP; §156(3) gets you the FIR registered. Each by itself is incomplete.

Yes. RTI for “certified copy of FIR no [XXX]” + ₹10 IPO. The PIO must supply per §6 of the RTI Act. Many states also publish FIR copies on the state police website (e.g., MP, Delhi).

File RTI for: (a) date of closure report, (b) certified copy of the closure report + final form, © the noting recording the IO's findings. Then file a Naraz petition / objection with the Magistrate within 30 days of B-summary acceptance notice.

Personal details of the IO are exempt under §8(1)(j) post-DPDP. But name + designation + posting is public information; the office mobile / landline is also public. The PIO must supply both.

Court — once charge-sheet is filed, it becomes a court document. Apply for certified copy at the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate / Sessions Court where charge-sheet was filed. Court fee + ₹10 per page. RTI to police is for the police-side file (IO noting), not the charge-sheet itself.

No. RTI is for Indian citizens. A foreign national who is the victim can pursue the FIR through their consular post in India + the local police directly.

Yes. Journalists routinely file RTI for FIR copies. Cite CPIO SC v. Subhash Agarwal (2020) 5 SCC 481 if §8(1)(j) is invoked — public-interest balance favours press scrutiny.

Cite Bhagat Singh v. CIC (Delhi HC, 2007) — §8(1)(h) is not a blanket shield; the PIO must show actual harm to the investigation. Also cite Adesh Kumar v. UoI — the PIO cannot refuse without specifying which limb of §8(1)(h) applies.

Most states: Free for the complainant under the Right to Service Act of the state. Some states charge ₹2-5 per copy. RTI route is parallel and uniform — ₹10.

RTI can ask for the English version of the FIR if it exists on file. If not, you must translate yourself or via a paid translator. Court-certified translations are required for High Court / Supreme Court matters.

File: (1) RTI for the SHO's noting + jurisdictional circulars, (2) §156(3) complaint to Magistrate, (3) Anti-Corruption Bureau / State Vigilance complaint with the RTI reply attached. The combination almost always produces a result.

Yes, but address it to PIO, State Cyber Cell + PIO, Office of CP / SP. Refer to the state's Cyber Cell SOP. Use the NCRP helpline 1930 for immediate fraud-blocking before filing RTI.

• All sample RTI letters
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• UPI fraud recovery — full guide
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• Lalita Kumari v. State of UP (2014) 2 SCC 1 — Constitution Bench: FIR registration mandatory.
• Full case-law database (300+)
• Bhagat Singh v. CIC
• CPIO SC v. Subhash Agarwal
• Adesh Kumar v. UoI

• 🪄 AI RTI Drafter
• 🎤 AwaazRTI
• ⚖ First Appeal Builder
• 📅 Timeline Tracker
• 🚨 FIR Status portal directory

• Right to Information Act, 2005 — §6, §7, §8, §10, §19. Full text.
• Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 — §154, §156(3), §173 (now superseded by BNSS 2023 in respective sections from 1 July 2024).
• Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — §173, §175(3), §193.
• Lalita Kumari v. State of UP (2014) 2 SCC 1 — Constitution Bench, FIR-registration mandate.
• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 + Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 — companion BNS / BSA.

• How to file an RTI application
• How to file a §19(1) First Appeal
• RTI case-law database
• State RTI rules
• RTI Act, 2005

Last reviewed: 4 May 2026 by RTI Wiki editorial team. Real-life case (Sneha, Lucknow) used with consent. CrPC + BNSS sections verified against IndiaCode.