Police Process — FIR + Notice Desk (India 2026)
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.
In this hub
- FIR, NCR and Zero FIR — how to file when refused
- RTI to police — case status, charge sheet, untraced report
- Fake notices, fake summons, fake e-challan
- “Digital arrest” and impersonation by phone
- Police verification — passport, employment, character
- Bail, arrest rights and detention safeguards
- Private complaint, CBI and vigilance escalation
- Traffic challan and on-road interactions
FIR, NCR and Zero FIR
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.
Fake notices, fake summons, fake e-challan
Forged government communications attract BNS Section 336 (forgery) + 318 (cheating) + IT Act 66D (cheating by personation using a computer resource) — up to 7 years.
"Digital arrest" and impersonation by phone
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 — passport, employment, character
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.
Bail, arrest rights and detention safeguards
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.
Private complaint, CBI and vigilance
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.
Traffic challan and on-road interactions
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.
Run the tools
- AI RTI Drafter — generate a working RTI in 90 seconds
- First Appeal Builder — when the PIO ignores your RTI
- PIO Reply Checker — paste a PIO reply, get the loopholes
- AwaazRTI — voice-first RTI in 22 Indian languages