THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The First Information Report (FIR) can now be registered in any police station in the state, irrespective of wherever the crime has occurred.
The FIR will later be transferred to the police station concerned for further action.State Police Chief Loknath Behera has issued directions to this effect to all police officers. The new provision has been introduced as per Section 170 of the Criminal Procedure Code. A person who is victim of a crime in a train or bus can now file the FIR at the police station located nearest to where he or she disembarks.
According to the IPC, a police officer who does not register an FIR after knowing about a crime can be punished with imprisonment for up to two years and fine.
Behera has informed police officers that those who commit lapses in implementing the direction will face departmental action. In the Lalita Kumari v/s state of Uttar Pradesh case, the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court had ruled in detail about the procedure to be followed while registering the FIR.