What is Zero FIR?
An FIR that can be filed in any police station by the victim irrespective of place of incident or jurisdiction
The same can be transferred to the concerned police station
The concept of Zero FIR is jurisdictions free FIR
If failed to comply with the FIR registration, police may invite prosecution under Section 166A of IPC
Nirbhaya’s case lead to many amendments in our existing legal system, Zero FIR was one of them
Introduced by the recommendation of the Justice Verma Committee in the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013
Normal FIR vs. Zero FIR
A normal FIR is registered by a serial whereas a Zero FIR does has no serial number
Why introduce Zero FIR?
Many cases go unresolved due to lack of evidence, which was lost due to waste of time. Zero FIR comes as a helping hand at times like this
Victims are sometimes denied the opportunity of registering a case simply because the area the crime took place in does not fall under the respective jurisdiction
Also, to protect evidence from manipulation and corruption
Examples of Zero FIR: Asaram Bapu Rape Case
The crime took place under the jurisdiction of Jodhpur but the case was registered in Kamla Market (Delhi) police station
The case was then transferred to Jodhpur for further investigation
Zero FIR was mentioned in the Bollywood movie “Pink” that led to the awakening among people about what a Zero FIR is!