Use this template when you already have an FIR number and need one or more of the following:

• A certified copy of the FIR itself (for litigation, insurance, employment verification).
• The periodical investigation progress report.
• Name, designation, badge number, and contact of the Investigating Officer.
• A case diary extract showing arrests, reasons, and notifications to family.
• The investigation report and witness / accused statements relied on.
• The standard time frame within which your police station should have investigated, per the state citizen's charter.

If your problem is different, pick the right recipe:

• FIR not registered → RTI to police for Daily Diary and SHO's decision.
• Case closed without informing you → Same guide — ask for the Final Report under Section 173 BNSS and the Magistrate's order.
• Delay in chargesheet → Ask for the chargesheet-filing status and the IO's roster.
• General police complaint ignored → RTI for ignored complaints or sample complaint-status RTI.

• RTI Act, 2005 — Section 6(1) request, Section 7 reply deadline (30 days), Section 8(1)(h) exemption during investigation (time-bounded), Section 19 appeals.
• Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 — Section 173 (registration of FIR), Section 175(3) (Magistrate's power to direct investigation), Section 230 (supply of chargesheet and connected documents).
• Lalita Kumari v. Government of UP, (2014) 2 SCC 1 — mandatory registration of FIR on disclosure of a cognizable offence.
• Joginder Kumar v. State of UP, (1994) 4 SCC 260 — arrest procedure and the requirement to notify a relative / friend.

By SPEED POST

To,
The Public Information Officer,
Office of the Commissioner of Police / Superintendent of Police,
[City / District, State]
[PIN Code]

Subject: Request for information under Section 6(1) of the Right to
Information Act, 2005 — regarding FIR No. __________.

Sir / Madam,

Please supply me the following information with respect to the First
Information Report detailed below:

Details of FIR:
  FIR / Complaint Number: ________
  Name of Complainant:    ________
  Name(s) of Accused:     ________
  Date of Complaint:      ________
  Police Station:         ________

Particulars of information sought:

1. Certified copy of the FIR as detailed above.

2. Certified copy of the periodical progress report on investigation in
   respect of the above FIR.

3. Name, designation, badge number, office address, and contact number
   of the Investigating Officer(s) entrusted with the investigation.

4. Certified copy of the case diary indicating the name(s) of persons
   arrested in connection with the above FIR and the reasons for
   such arrest.

5. Name of the friend, relative, or other person of the arrested accused
   who was informed of the arrest, in terms of directions of the Director
   General of Police issued pursuant to //Joginder Kumar v. State of UP//,
   (1994) 4 SCC 260.

6. If no such notification was made or no diary entry was maintained,
   the name(s) of the officer(s) and staff responsible for the omission.

7. If no diary entry is available despite arrest of the accused, a
   certified copy of the circular issued by the Director General of
   Police, _______ State, implementing //Joginder Kumar//.

8. Certified copy of the investigation report prepared by the
   Investigating Officer.

9. Copy of the record and / or statements of the accused and / or
   witnesses recorded during the investigation, on which the
   Investigating Officer based his findings.

10. If the accused and / or witnesses were not interrogated or their
    statements not recorded, certified copies of the documents on which
    the findings of the investigation were drawn.

11. Certified copy of the citizen's charter or standing order stipulating
    the time frame (in days) within which a complaint of this nature
    ought to have been dealt with and investigated by the Police
    Station.

12. Name and contact of the First Appellate Authority.

I enclose a non-refundable fee of Rs. 10 by way of Court Fee Stamp /
Indian Postal Order No. __________ drawn in favour of the Accounts
Officer, [Police Commissionerate / SP Office], payable at [City].

I am a citizen of India.

Please send the information by Registered Post to the address below.

Yours faithfully,

Signature:      __________________
Name:           __________________
Full Address:   __________________
PIN Code:       __________________
Date:           __________________
Place:          __________________

• Item 1 (certified FIR copy) — Admissible in court, insurance claim, employer verification. This is the single most requested item.
• Item 2 (periodical progress report) — Converts “the case is under investigation” into a dated, itemised record. Also sets up your later Magistrate application under §175(3) BNSS if investigation stalls.
• Item 3 (IO identity) — Institutional record, disclosable per Namit Sharma v. UoI, (2013) 1 SCC 745. Operational sources stay protected.
• Items 4–7 (case diary, arrest protocol) — Tests compliance with Joginder Kumar and DK Basu guidelines. If the SHO failed to notify a relative of an arrest, the diary will show it.
• Items 8–10 (investigation record) — Typically the PIO will cite §8(1)(h) while investigation is pending. After submission of the Final Report under §173 BNSS, the ground falls away.
• Item 11 (citizen's charter timeline) — Most state police have a charter; RTI turns it into a comparison benchmark.
• Item 12 (FAA contact) — Front-loads your First Appeal path.

• Where to send. The PIO at the Office of the Commissioner of Police (metro) or Superintendent of Police (district). Not the Police Station itself.
• Fee. Rs. 10. Accepted forms: Court Fee Stamp (affixed on the application), Indian Postal Order (IPO) favouring “Accounts Officer, [Commissionerate / SP]”, or bank challan where prescribed.
• BPL applicants. Free. Enclose a copy of the BPL card.
• Online route. Several states have RTI portals (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi). For the Union Territories and Central police forces (CRPF, BSF, CISF) use rtionline.gov.in.
• Delivery. Send by Speed Post with Acknowledgement Due. Keep the receipt — it is your filing evidence for appeal counting.

• Day 0 — PIO receives your RTI.
• Day 0–5 — PIO may transfer to the correct officer under §6(3). Time-clock pauses at most 5 days.
• Day 10–25 — Most routine FIR-copy requests are answered.
• Day 30 — Statutory reply deadline. Silence = deemed refusal under §7(2).
• Day 31 onwards — First Appeal under §19(1) to the FAA within the police hierarchy (typically the Dy. Commissioner or Inspector General). See First Appeal timelines.
• Day 75–90 onwards — Second Appeal to the State Information Commission (SIC) under §19(3). Typical hearing in 6-12 months, but CIC / SIC intervention during the pendency often resolves.

• Filing at the local police station instead of the Commissioner / SP office. The PIO designation is at Commissionerate / SP level.
• Writing a narrative (“he beat me and the police did nothing…”). The RTI is for records, not for reopening facts.
• Asking “why” questions (“Why has my case not progressed?”). Ask for the periodical progress report instead.
• Quoting the wrong CrPC sections. BNSS, 2023 replaces the CrPC from 1 July 2024. Section 173 CrPC → Section 173 BNSS; Section 156(3) CrPC → Section 175(3) BNSS.
• Missing the IPO acknowledgement. Without a fee receipt, the PIO may treat it as invalid.
• Forgetting the citizen's charter ask — it's often the strongest ground in the First Appeal.

• Pair this RTI with a §175(3) BNSS application to the Magistrate if the investigation has stalled. The RTI extracts the record; the Magistrate issues the direction.
• For cognizable offences against women / children, Section 173(1) BNSS mandates immediate registration. Cite the urgency in the subject line.
• For cyber crimes, parallel complaint at cybercrime.gov.in strengthens the file.
• If the investigation is complete and Final Report filed, §8(1)(h) can no longer shield the record. Ask for the Final Report + Magistrate's order on closure.
• Keep the Speed Post receipt photographed and saved — it's the statutory filing proof for appeal counting under §19(1).

Q1. Can the PIO refuse the FIR copy citing Section 8(1)(h)?
§8(1)(h) applies only when disclosure would actually impede the investigation. The FIR itself is a public document and is almost always disclosable. The exemption rarely covers the FIR text, and even for case-diary items, the ground is time-bounded.

Q2. Do I need to be the complainant to get an FIR copy?
No. RTI does not require you to be a party. Section 6(2) bars the PIO from asking the applicant's reasons. However, where the FIR contains personal data of a third party, §11 / §8(1)(j) may apply and the PIO may redact such data under §10.

Q3. What if the PIO demands more than Rs. 10?
The base application fee is Rs. 10. Additional cost per page for certified copies is typically Rs. 2 per page under the Central Rules; state rules may vary. BPL applicants pay nothing.

Q4. Can I get witness statements during investigation?
Usually not — §8(1)(h) applies. After chargesheet / trial, witness statements become part of the court record and are accessible through the trial court under BNSS §230.

Q5. What if the FIR number I have is wrong?
Provide the complaint date + police station + your name. The PIO can look it up via §6(3) assistance and §5(3) duty to help reframe.

Q6. Can I get the Investigating Officer's phone number?
Office phone and designation — yes, per Namit Sharma. Personal mobile — usually not.

Q7. What about FIR against a public servant?
Same RTI template works. Additionally, where the accused is a Schedule-II agency officer, the §24 proviso on corruption / human-rights violation opens disclosures.

Q8. Are there model RTI portals for this?
rtionline.gov.in for Central police. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Kerala have state-level portals. Many states still require postal filing.

• RTI — FIR not registered — when you need to force FIR registration via Daily Diary extraction.
• Sample RTI — police complaint status
• Sample RTI — missing file record
• All sample RTI applications

• How to file RTI online — 2026 guide
• Why RTI gets rejected — drafting fix-it guide
• Guide for applicants — procedure, fee, appeal path
• Guide — First Appeal under §19(1)
• First Appeal timelines
• FAA appellate-review checklist

• Template: first RTI application
• Template: first appeal

• §6 — Request for information
• §7 — Reply deadline
• §8 — Exemptions
• §10 — Severability
• §19 — Appeals
• All grounds for RTI rejection

• Lalita Kumari v. Government of UP, (2014) 2 SCC 1
• Joginder Kumar v. State of UP, (1994) 4 SCC 260
• Namit Sharma v. Union of India, (2013) 1 SCC 745
• Bombay HC RTI rulings
• Calcutta HC RTI rulings

• Right to Information Act, 2005 — §§ 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 19
• Right to Information (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2012 — Central
• Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 — §§ 173, 175(3), 230
• Lalita Kumari v. Government of UP, (2014) 2 SCC 1
• Joginder Kumar v. State of UP, (1994) 4 SCC 260
• Namit Sharma v. Union of India, (2013) 1 SCC 745
• Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 — §44(3), amending RTI §8(1)(j)
• State Police Manuals (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru)

Last reviewed: 21 April 2026.