{"id":31194,"date":"2026-08-30T06:04:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T06:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/?p=31194"},"modified":"2026-08-30T06:08:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T06:08:26","slug":"when-police-refuse-to-act-refusal-of-complaint-fir-and-its-punitive-consequences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/when-police-refuse-to-act-refusal-of-complaint-fir-and-its-punitive-consequences\/","title":{"rendered":"When Police Refuse to Act: Refusal of Complaint\/FIR and Its Punitive Consequences"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

The refusal or failure of a police officer to receive information disclosing a cognisable offence or to register a First Information Report (FIR) is far more than a mere administrative lapse; it constitutes a severe breach of statutory duty that carries both departmental and penal consequences. Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), establishes a mandatory procedural framework for recording such information, subject only to the limited preliminary enquiry permitted under Section 173(3) for offences punishable with imprisonment of three years or more but less than seven years (with prior permission of an officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police).<\/p>

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