The Uttarakhand High Court passed the order after members of the Uttarakhand Police technical team appeared before it and explained the process through which citizens can access FIRs online. (File photo)

Uttarakhand High Court disposes of plea seeking online access to FIRs

The Uttarakhand High Court closed a plea over public FIR access after police demonstrated the app-based process. The hearing underlined judicial insistence on keeping FIRs accessible in line with Supreme Court directions.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Haridwar trust moved plea over prolonged suspension of online FIR viewing
  • Police informed judges that citizens can access FIRs via Citizen, Devbhoomi apps
  • Police said services currently works only on Android, not Apple devices

The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday disposed of a petition that challenged the closure of a public portal for viewing FIRs registered by the state police online.

The court passed the order after members of the Uttarakhand Police technical team appeared before it and explained the process through which citizens can access FIRs online.

The matter was raised through a petition filed by the Haridwar-based National Public Trust, which sought restoration of the online FIR viewing facility that had remained suspended for a long time. During the hearing, police officials told the court that the facility is available through the 'Citizen' and 'Devbhoomi' applications.

A division bench of Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay was told that the facility is currently available only on Android phones and not on Apple phones.

Police officials explained that a user must first download and log in to the 'Devbhoomi' app, provide the required information, and upload a selfie. After completing this process, the user can view and download the FIR.

The officials also gave a live demonstration of the entire process before the court. In an earlier hearing, the High Court had questioned the police department over its failure to comply with Supreme Court directions on public access to FIRs.

The Supreme Court has directed that, barring certain exceptions, FIRs should be uploaded online after registration so that the general public can view them.

Taking the issue seriously, the High Court had earlier warned that if the online facility was not restored, Uttarakhand's Director General of Police would have to appear personally at the next hearing. With the police explaining and demonstrating the existing online access process, the court disposed of the petition.

- Ends