Ambala advocates seek easy access to online FIRs

group of advocates from Ambala has sent a representation to the Director-General of Police, Haryana, seeking restoration of the earlier adopted procedure to access the online FIRs.

As per the advocates, the newly adopted procedure in which OTP is generated to download the FIRs has been a cause of inconvenience.

The representation sent by the advocates, read, “to ensure transparency and accountability in the working of the Haryana Police and for an easy public access, the First Information Reports (FIRs) lodged by the police in Haryana were being uploaded on the Haryana Police portal “Har Samay”. This step was in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions in “Young Bar Association of India Versus Union of India” and for the state-level administrative reforms. This step had helped reducing the discretionary power and possible harassment and suppression by the police and had strengthened the accountability of the police. The victims, accused persons and the general public had access to the ongoing cases. However, now a new system of downloading the FIRs has been introduced.”

“Now the procedure for viewing/downloading the first information reports has been changed and one-time password (OTP) sent on the mobile number is required for downloading the FIRs. This step has caused great hardship to the general public especially the victims, lawyers, accused persons, mediapersons, courts, higher police officials and oversight bodies which monitor the registration of the cases”, it further reads.

Former Ambala District Bar Association president, Rohit Jain, who is also the member secretary of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee’s Disciplinary Committee, said “An unreasonable logic has been given behind the reason of the requirement of OTP for downloading the FIR that cyber-crimes are being committed by some persons by downloading the FIRs from the portal. The officials had been claiming that the cyber criminals were misusing the portal by retrieving the FIRs and making calls to the victims and accused to dupe them on the pretext of helping them in the case. In this regard, it is submitted that details, orders and judgments of all litigation pending and decided before the courts in India are available online and that too without any requirement of an OTP. This step has brought transparency and accountability in the working of the courts and has strengthened the public trust in the judicial system.”

“The basic purpose of uploading of an FIR for transparency, accountability and easy public access has been defeated by the introduction of the system of OTP and is causing inconvenience in the working of the courts, lawyers and great hardship to the victims, accused persons, and mediapersons. We have high hopes from DGP OP Singh and we have sent a representation requesting him to ensure easy access to the online FIR portal. It has been requested that appropriate steps be taken and the procedure adopted earlier for access to the online FIR may be restored. If the demand is not met, we will find a legal way out,” said Rohit Jain.