Uttarakhand High Court Closes Plea Over Online FIR Access After Police Demonstrate App-Based System
High Court disposes a petition on suspended online FIR access after police showed FIRs can be viewed via the Citizen and Devbhoomi mobile apps.
Current Summary
According to a September 24 Law Trend report and a further LiveLaw report, the Uttarakhand High Court has disposed of a petition seeking restoration of public access to FIRs online, after the state police demonstrated before the court that FIR documents can be viewed and downloaded through its mobile applications. A division bench of Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay passed the order on Wednesday after members of the Uttarakhand Police technical team appeared in court and explained the procedure. The petition had been filed by Haridwar-based National Public Trust, which challenged the prolonged suspension of the public portal earlier used for viewing FIRs. Police officials told the court that FIRs can currently be accessed through the 'Citizen' and 'Devbhoomi' applications, and gave a live demonstration; the facility is presently available on Android devices only, not on Apple phones, requiring users to log in and upload a selfie. The court had earlier questioned police over compliance with a Supreme Court direction that FIRs, barring specified exceptions, be uploaded online. LiveLaw reports the court's September 18 order had directed the state to produce a technical person on September 23 to demonstrate the system, and that the state told the court 70 FIRs had been downloaded by different persons on September 22, ahead of that hearing. The report does not disclose why the earlier public portal was suspended or a timeline for extending the facility to Apple devices.
What We Know
- The Uttarakhand High Court disposed of a petition filed by Haridwar-based National Public Trust over suspended online public access to FIRs.
- Police demonstrated in court that FIRs can be accessed via the 'Citizen' and 'Devbhoomi' mobile apps, currently available only on Android.
- Users must log in to the Devbhoomi app, submit details and upload a selfie to view and download an FIR.
- The order was passed by a division bench of Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay.
- The High Court had earlier questioned police compliance with a Supreme Court direction to upload FIRs online.
- The court's September 18 order had directed the state to produce a technical person on September 23 to demonstrate the Citizen Portal and Devbhoomi app were functional.
- The state told the court that 70 FIRs had been downloaded by different persons via the portal on September 22.
What Is Still Unclear
- Why the earlier public FIR web portal was suspended.
- Whether or when the app-based facility will be extended to Apple devices.
Citizens seeking FIR copies online can currently use the 'Citizen' or 'Devbhoomi' Android apps; the facility is not yet available on iOS.
What Changed
- 25 Sept, 08:41 amA LiveLaw report on the same order adds that the High Court had, on September 18, directed the state to produce a technical person on September 23 to demonstrate the portal's functionality, and that the state told the court 70 FIRs had been downloaded by different persons via the system on September 22, ahead of the demonstration.
- 24 Sept, 05:31 amSignal detected: Uttarakhand High Court Closes Plea Over Online FIR Access After Police Demonstrate App-Based System
Background
The Supreme Court has directed that FIRs, except those falling within specified exceptions, be uploaded online for public access.