Jadcherla SHO slapped with costs for not registering FIR

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday imposed costs of Rs 10,000 on the Jadcherla town police station house officer (SHO) for a delay in registering an FIR. The money will be paid to the TS Legal Services Authority.

The court warned police officials to remember that they are mandated to register FIRs, upon recording information of cognizable offences and they don’t have the discretionary powers to decide whether to register the FIR or not.

Justice C.V. Bhasker Reddy was dealing with a petition filed by Golkonda Pratibha, a resident of Badepally village, Jedcherla mandal. She complained that the Jadcherla town SHO was deliberately not registering the FIR, in spite of a direction from the Judicial Magistrate First Class.

Balaji Yelamunjala, counsel for the petitioner, informed the court that his client had lodged a complaint against two persons on March 24. As the police did not take the complaint, she filed a private complaint before the magistrate. The magistrate had in June directed the police to register the FIR and investigate the matter and to report the progress in July. The SHO did not do so.