The Supreme Court has ruled that its Lalita Kumari judgment does not mandate a preliminary inquiry before registering an FIR in every case.
A bench upheld the Gujarat High Court’s order rejecting former IAS officer Pradeep Sharma’s plea (petitioners'), stating that police must register an FIR if the allegations disclose a cognizable offense.
Pradeep Sharma argued that multiple FIRs were filed against him without inquiry. The Court clarified that a preliminary probe is needed only when an offense is not prima facie clear.
It also emphasized that courts cannot introduce extra safeguards beyond legal provisions, affirming that FIR registration is mandatory for cognizable offenses.
