Ensure Legible Typewritten Copy Of First Information Statements Are Maintained In Police Stations, Kerala HC Directs DGP [Read Order]

The Kerala High Court has issued significant directions to ensure that legible typewritten copy of the First Information Statement is also immediately maintained after the recording of the FIS in the Police Station concerned.

Justice Alexander Thomas, in an order disposing some anticipatory bail applications, directed the State Police Chief to immediately issue a Circular directing all the Police Stations concerned including the Crime Branch, to ensure the following:

• Immediately after recording of the FIS in the handwriting of the police official concerned, it shall be ensured that a typewritten copy of the FIS is also maintained and sufficient copies of the same shall be kept in the CD file, so that it could be easily given to the courts concerned, to the prosecutor concerned and it could also be produced as and when required in the courts.

• Copies of FIR, FIS, legible typewritten copy of FIS should be produced along with memos of the Prosecutor in all anticipatory bail applications file before this Court.

• Copies of FIR, FIS, legible typewritten copy of the FIS and copy of the remand report should be filed along with memo of the prosecutor concerned in all regular bail applications filed before this Court.

The court ordered thus after taking notice of the trend that, in many cases that the First Information Statement as well as the various Section 161 Cr.P.C. statements produced along with the final report, which are all handwritten documents are not easily readable or legible both to the Court as well as to the Advocates concerned. This leads to unnecessary wastage of time in trying to understand real contents of the FIS etc, the Judge said. The court observed:

"it also happens that many at time the handwriting in the FIS are not very legible and it becomes very tough task for the Court, the Prosecutor and for the Advocate of the accused persons to really decipher some of the vital contents of the FIS and lack of proper understanding affects not only the case of the accused persons but may also even detrimentally affect the prosecution in such cases. Therefore, it is ordered that the State Police Chief should issue directions to ensure that legible typewritten copy of the FIS is also immediately maintained after the recording of the FIS in the Police Station concerned and such legible typewritten copies of the FIS as attested by the SHO or the competent official of the Police Station concerned should be kept in the CD file, so that the same could be easily made available to the Subordinate Criminal Courts as well as to this Court during consideration of not only bail applications but also in other proceedings including trial." 

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