CHENNAI: Taking an important step in ensuring transparency, police stations in Tamil Nadu have begun uploading FIRs online, which could be accessed by anyone including the accused from the Tamil Nadu police’s official website.
This facility, which was set up after a direction from the Supreme Court, had a soft launch four days ago, and has been accessed by over 1,000 persons so far, said a senior official.
According to the court’s directive, FIRs should be uploaded within 24 hours. In this option, the public can view FIRs online and also check the status of their complaint through their smartphone or laptop.
Explaining how the new option works, an official from the State Crime Record Bureau said a new tab has been added to the right side on the website, www.tnpolice.gov.in, which reads View FIR.
Here, the details of the individua and the mobile number of the person seeking information have to be submitted. After this, a one-time password (OTP) is sent to the mobile, and the FIR copy can be viewed.
Speaking to Express, a senior police officer said the facility was launched on November 15. “Since then, all FIRs from across the State are updated on the website. Every day, around 2,000 FIRs are registered in Tamil Nadu, which are uploaded on the CCTNS, the official police website,” added the officer.
The department has enough storage facilities for this large volume of data, said the officer, adding that there is also a backup.
All FIRs are uploaded within 24 hours as per the instructions from the court, except when there is connectivity issue. In such cases, the deadline has been extended to 48-72 hours.
Same is the case with FIRs in sensitive issues like sexual abuse, insurgency or terrorism and child abuse, which will not be accessible to the public.The decision not to post the FIRs cannot be taken by a police officer below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Welcoming the move, R Vinayaga Vishnu, a senior advocate with the Madras High Court, noted that this will help reduce the police atrocities and will also provide the accused his right to defence.
“The defence of the accused starts from the time the FIR is uploaded. For instance, if a complaint is registered against a Chennai-based person in Coimbatore and the police call for an inquiry, he can check the FIR online to see what charges have been booked against him and carry the relevant documents to produce in defence,” he added.
When an FIR is filed, the investigation officer would remand the person in 24 hours, giving the suspect (innocent until proven otherwise) no time to return to the place to collect the documents to present his case, he added.
“This will lead to a drop in crime rate and will also make the accuracy of the rates clearer,” said Vishnu.
Meanwhile, sounding a cautious note, noted human rights activist Henri Tiphagne said the Supreme Court should also monitor the states. “Like how the FIRs are being uploaded, the details on the person who is arrested should also be published,” he suggested.