FIR means First Information Report. It implies the information given to the police station about the commission of a cognizable offence. Based on such information, police station would register the FIR under Section 154 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.P.C.). Registration of FIR is generally the starting point of investigation by police.
The procedure for registering the FIR is something like this. When a cognizable offence takes place, the person knowing about it can go to the police station and furnish information about such cognizable offence to the police. It is not necessary that the person giving such information should himself be the victim of such offence or any relative of such victim. The informant can also be a stranger; but he must be aware of the commission of such offence. He can give oral information or written information to police. If he gives oral information, then police would reduce it into writing. Every such information given in this manner (i.e., whether given in writing, or reduced into writing if it was given orally) shall be signed by the person who gave such information to police. The substance of such information is entered by the police in a prescribed book, which is generally the FIR book. An extract of the FIR is also recorded in the General Diary (in some states, it is called Station Diary) of the police station.
Once the FIR is registered in this manner, the police would begin the investigation into such cognizable offence that has taken place as per the information given in this manner.
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