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Disposes PIL Over Online FIR Access After Police Demonstrate App-Based Facility
In a significant development for public access to criminal records, the on Wednesday disposed of a that challenged the prolonged inability of accused persons and the general public to download from the state police's online systems. A of Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay passed the order after officials and their technical team appeared before the court and demonstrated that FIRs can now be accessed through the 'Citizen Portal' and the 'Devbhoomi Mobile App'.
The Grievance and the Court's Initial Response
The PIL, filed by the , relied on the landmark directions of the in , which mandates that FIRs, barring those involving like sexual crimes, insurgency, or terrorism, be uploaded online . The petitioner alleged that despite these directives, the was non-functional, displaying a continuous error. Taking the matter seriously, the High Court had earlier warned that the Director General of Police might be required to appear personally if the facility was not restored.
Live Demonstration in Court
On , the court's earlier order bore fruit. Ms. Nivedita Kukreti, Inspector General of Police, Kumaun, appeared via video conferencing, while Ms. Shahjehan Jawed Khan, SP CCTNS/, and Inspector Rachna Srivastav, along with their technical team, were present in court. The technical team provided a live demonstration, showing that a user must first register on the Citizen Portal and then can access FIRs through both the portal and the mobile app. The officials confirmed that the system is now fully operational, with 70 FIRs downloaded by different persons on the previous day alone.
Addressing
While the demonstration resolved the core issue, the court turned its attention to the handling of sensitive FIRs that are legitimately excluded from public upload. The Bench observed that for such FIRs, the system should incorporate a feature that clearly indicates the reason for their unavailability—for example, specifying that the FIR pertains to a or terrorism case. This would prevent confusion and ensure transparency. The SP CCTNS assured the court that the matter would be examined and a suitable feature enabled.
A Practical Caveat
During the hearing, it was also disclosed that the app-based facility is currently available only on Android devices, not on Apple phones. The court did not specifically address this limitation, but the development marks a step toward broader access.
Disposal of the PIL
Satisfied that the petitioner's concerns had been addressed and that no other issues survived, the closed the proceedings. The judgment underscores the High Court's willingness to enforce directives on transparency while balancing the need to protect sensitive information. The new feature for indicating reasons behind non-upload of certain FIRs could serve as a model for other states grappling with similar compliance challenges.
