{"id":29470,"date":"2026-08-06T13:19:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T13:19:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/?p=29470"},"modified":"2026-08-06T13:30:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T13:30:29","slug":"section-173-bnss-preliminary-inquiry-before-fir-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/section-173-bnss-preliminary-inquiry-before-fir-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"A Critical Analysis of Provisions of Preliminary Enquiry Under Section 173(3) of BNSS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/span>Introduction<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Section 173(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), ostensibly codifies the mandatory duty of the police to register a First Information Report (FIR) upon receipt of information disclosing a cognisable offence. However, the introduction of subsections (3) to Section 173 creates a statutory dilemma that potentially undermines this very mandate and places the victim’s right to access the criminal justice system in jeopardy. Section 173(3) permits the officer in charge of a police station to conduct a preliminary inquiry \u201cto ascertain whether there exists a prima facie case for proceeding in the matter\u201d in cases where the offence is punishable for three years or more but less than seven years of imprisonment, with the prior permission of an officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.<\/p>

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