Complaint Against a Police Officer — FIR Refused and the SP’s Office
A refusal to register an FIR is not the end of the road. The law names the next two doors, and both of them are open without a lawyer.
- Who to contact first
- The Superintendent of Police for the district, and then the jurisdictional Magistrate — both named in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita itself.
- How to reach them
- Send the information in writing to the Superintendent of Police under section 173(4) BNSS. If that fails, apply to the Magistrate under section 175(3).
- How long to wait
- No waiting period is prescribed before writing to the SP. Where the information discloses a cognizable offence, registration of an FIR is mandatory.
- If they ignore you
- The State Police Complaints Authority where your State has constituted one, the State Human Rights Commission for a rights violation, and the courts.
Official source · last verified 2 September 2026 — Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — Sections 173 and 175. GetNyay is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any government department.
Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 gives Zero FIR statutory footing: information about a cognizable offence can be recorded at any police station regardless of where the offence occurred, and transferred afterwards to the station with jurisdiction. So being sent away because “this is not our area” is not a lawful answer. And Lalita Kumari settled the more basic point — where the information discloses a cognizable offence, registration of an FIR is mandatory, not a matter of discretion.
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All contact channels
Every channel below was read on an official page. Contact details change — the source for each is linked in the verification footer at the end of this page.
The escalation ladder, level by level
Work through these in order. Every forum above asks what you did below, and skipping a rung is the commonest reason a complaint is sent back.
- 1Station house officerWait Registration is mandatory where a cognizable offence is disclosed
The station house officer.
The information in writing, dated and signed, with a copy kept. Ask for the FIR number and a free copy of the FIR.
- 2Superintendent of Police / DCPWait No waiting period is prescribed
The Superintendent of Police, under section 173(4) BNSS.
The same information in writing, the date you approached the station, the officer’s name if known, and the fact of refusal. Send it so delivery is provable.
- 3Jurisdictional MagistrateWait As the court directs
The jurisdictional Magistrate, under section 175(3) BNSS.
Proof that you approached the station and then the SP, with dates and postal proof of the SP letter.
- 4Police Complaints AuthorityWait As prescribed by the State
The State Police Complaints Authority, where your State has constituted one.
The conduct complained of, the officer, the date and any witnesses.
- 5Human Rights CommissionWait As prescribed
The State Human Rights Commission, or the National Human Rights Commission.
The rights violation alleged, with medical or documentary material.
How the process runs
- 1Give the information in writing, and keep a signed copy
Zero FIR means any station can record it. Ask for the FIR number and your free copy of the FIR.
then: if refused - 2Write to the Superintendent of Police — section 173(4) BNSS
The same information, plus the date you attended the station and the fact of refusal. Send it so delivery is provable.
then: if still nothing - 3Apply to the Magistrate — section 175(3) BNSS
A Magistrate may order an investigation. Bring proof of both earlier steps, including the postal receipt for the SP letter.
then: for the officer’s conduct itself - 4Police Complaints Authority, or a Human Rights Commission
These address the officer’s conduct rather than your case. Run them separately from the FIR you are trying to get registered.
What this system will not take up
Filing one of these wastes the whole period — it is closed on that ground alone.
- A purely civil dispute — money owed, a contract, a property title — which no FIR will resolve.
- A matter already under investigation, where the complaint is really about the outcome.
- Anything pending before a court on the same facts.
- Legal advice on your particular case — this page sets out the statutory route, not a strategy.
What to have ready before you complain
Assemble these first. A complaint that opens with the identifying numbers gets routed; one that opens with how long this has been going on gets a template reply.
- A dated, signed copy of the written information you gave at the station.
- The date and time you attended, and the name of the officer, if you have it.
- Any receipt, diary number or acknowledgement given at the station.
- Postal proof of the letter to the Superintendent of Police.
- Medical papers, photographs or messages relating to the incident.
- Names and contacts of anyone who was present.
Timelines at a glance
How long to wait at each stage, and where that period comes from.
| Stage | Window | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Registration of an FIR | Mandatory where the information discloses a cognizable offence | Lalita Kumari v. Government of Uttar Pradesh (2014) 2 SCC 1 |
| Written information to the Superintendent of Police | No prescribed waiting period | Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — Section 173(4) |
| Application to a Magistrate to order investigation | As the court directs | Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — Section 175(3) |
Common complaints handled here
Who runs this, and who is above it
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
What makes this complaint different from every other one on this site is that the escalation path is written into the criminal procedure statute itself. Section 173 governs registration and gives Zero FIR and electronic filing statutory footing. Section 173(4) gives a person refused by the station house officer the right to send the information in writing to the Superintendent of Police. Section 175(3) allows a Magistrate to order an investigation. You do not have to argue that a remedy exists — you have to point at the section.
https://indiacode.gov.in/handle/123456789/21419 →If they ignore you — where to go next
What each forum costs and what it needs before it will take your case.
Proof you approached the station and then the SP, with dates.
The conduct complained of and the officer concerned. Not every State has constituted one.
A rights violation, with supporting material.
Frequently asked questions
The police refused to register my FIR. What can I do?
Section 173(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 gives you a direct route: send the information in writing to the Superintendent of Police, who must investigate or direct an investigation if a cognizable offence is disclosed. Send it in a form that proves delivery. If that fails too, apply to the jurisdictional Magistrate under section 175(3), who may order an investigation. Both routes are available without a lawyer.
Is registering an FIR mandatory?
Where the information discloses a cognizable offence, yes. A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court held in Lalita Kumari v. Government of Uttar Pradesh (2014) 2 SCC 1 that registration is mandatory in that situation and no preliminary inquiry is permissible. That is the single most useful citation to have in hand at a police station, and it belongs in the opening line of your letter to the SP.
What is a Zero FIR?
An FIR recorded at a police station that does not have territorial jurisdiction, numbered zero and then transferred to the station that does. Section 173 of the BNSS gives it statutory footing, so being turned away because the offence happened elsewhere is not a lawful answer. Getting the information on record immediately matters more than getting it on record at the right station.
Where do I complain about a police officer’s conduct?
Keep it separate from the case you are trying to get registered. Conduct complaints go to the Superintendent of Police, to the State Police Complaints Authority where your State has constituted one, and — where a rights violation is alleged — to the State or National Human Rights Commission. If money was demanded, that is a corruption complaint for the State Lokayukta or the anti-corruption machinery.
Can I file this complaint online?
Section 173 of the BNSS recognises electronic filing of information, and States have their own police portals for it, but the position differs by State and an electronically filed information generally has to be signed within the period the law provides. For the SP letter under section 173(4), a physical letter sent so that delivery is provable is the safer course, because the postal proof is what the Magistrate will want to see later.
Is there a national number for the Superintendent of Police?
No. The office is per-district, and this page deliberately publishes no number or address because any single one would be wrong for almost every reader. Find your district SP on your State police website. For an emergency use 112; for online financial fraud use 1930, where the first hour genuinely decides whether the money can be frozen.
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Related escalation guides
Every contact detail on this page was read on an official page — primarily Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — Sections 173 and 175. Government contact details change without notice. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will check it.
What we deliberately left blank (4)
- — Every Superintendent of Police phone number and address — per-district, no national contact exists. Deliberately left empty.
- — Which States have actually constituted a Police Complaints Authority, and how each is approached.
- — State police portal addresses and their electronic-filing rules.
- — The period within which an electronically filed information must be signed, which is set out in the statute and varies with the provision relied on.