The Law Commission of India received a reference from the Ministry of Home Affairs vide letter dated June, 2018, requesting the Commission to study the feasibility of amending Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC) in order to enable online registration of FIR.
In view of the above, the 22nd Law Commission took up the reference and undertook a comprehensive study of the law relating to online registration of FIRs and its working in India, tracing its genesis and development in the digital era. The Commission also analyzed the history of registration of FIRs, both in colonial and independent India, and the various pronouncements of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and the Hon’ble High Courts on the subject-matter. Additionally, the 22nd Law Commission held extensive consultations with entities involved in policing reforms, namely, the National Crime Records Bureau and the Bureau of Police Research & Development. Further, the Commission also held wide-ranging consultations with academicians, advocates, senior Police Officers, etc.
The Commission examined the reference and submitted its Report No. 282 titled “Amendment in Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, for Enabling Online Registration of FIR”, to the Ministry of Law & Justice, Department of Legal Affairs, on 27.09.2023. The Commission is of the considered view that registration of e-FIR be enabled in a phased manner, beginning with offenses bearing a punishment of upto three years imprisonment.
