FIR Must Be Registered If Plaint Clearly Discloses Cognizable Offence

The Maharashtra State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA) has directed all police stations in the state to compulsorily register an FIR under Section 154 CrPC if a victim’s complaint clearly discloses a cognizable offence.

Citing Supreme Court judgments, it clarified that a preliminary inquiry can only determine whether the offence is cognizable, not its authenticity.

The directive came after Satara police wrongly filed a non-cognizable (NC) report in an assault case.

SPCA ordered departmental action against four officers and set strict timelines—15 days for inquiries, extendable to six weeks only in rare cases.