People in Delhi might feel relieved to know that FIRs, with all the complexities, will have one less thing to worry – twisted language.
The Delhi High Court bench today asked the police department to submit 10 FIRs from 10 police stations to verify whether a Circular issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police is being followed or not.
The circular asks all police stations in Delhi to use simple and preferably the language of the person filing FIR.
The Bench of Acting Chief Justice and Justice C Hari Shankar also said that Police personnel need not show off their literary skill which public at large might not understand hence it should be in as simple words understandable by the general public. Otherwise an exhaustive list of all the words with their meaning should be handed over to the person filing FIR.
It was held that CrPC places heavy reliance on the FIR as it is the most vital document, the copy of which is to be urgently sent to the magistrate for an immediate version of the whole incident. Hence it should be in simple Hindi language or the language of the person filing such FIR.
Senior advocate Mehmood Paracha tried to intervene, saying that Urdu was an official language in Delhi. But the court refused to entertain his pleas.
The petition – Vishalakshi Goel v. Union Of India And Anr. – is in regard to the usage of Persian and Urdu words by police personnel while recording the FIR and how it makes understanding the FIR for common person hard.
— India Legal Bureau