FIR is registered under Section 154 of the Criminal Procedure Code, when an information or a complaint about the commission of a cognizable offence is given to the police station. It leads to a detailed investigation in such offence, which may culminate in filing of a charge sheet against the accused in the court (if there is prima facie evidence in the case) or the closure of the case (if there is no prima facie evidence).
On the other hand, General Diary is maintained in the police station to record all important events taking place in the police station. It is a diary or register, maintained in a chronological order, which implies that it is not possible in the normal course to enter some back-dated information in the General Diary. Information about movement of staff, complaints given, FIRs registered, etc., are all mentioned in the General Diary, which is also known as Station Diary in some states (such as in Maharashtra).
If you had given complaint about the theft of your vehicle, then it should have been registered as FIR, and not merely as a General Diary entry. If you had insurance police that covers theft of vehicle, then you may not be able to claim insurance merely on the basis of the General Diary entry about it. You should insist with the police station officers to register FIR for the theft of vehicle, if it was stolen and was not merely lost.
Also see: FIR not registered by police for car theft, what to do?
Dr. Ashok Dhamija is a New Delhi based Supreme Court Advocate and author of law books. Read more about him by clicking here. List of his Forum Replies. List of his other articles. List of his Quora Answers. List of his YouTube Videos.
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