A Delhi Court has directed the Delhi Police to refrain from the mechanical use of Urdu/Persian words while lodging the First Information Report (FIR), a written document prepared by police to record information about an offence.
It was pointed out in the petition that Delhi Police use certain Urdu/Persian words in the FIR, which makes it difficult for the complainant to translate or understand it.
Replying to the plea Delhi government informed the court that they have already issued a Circular dated 20 November, 2019, regarding the use of simple words, instead of Urdu/Persian words, while recording the FIR. The said Circular also includes a list which contains English translation of around 380 Urdu words that are used by the Police.
While dictating the order, the court noted that Urdu/Persian words are being used mechanically by the police without knowing the meaning of them.
The Court went on to direct Delhi Police to provide a copy of the list of translations as many people may not be able to understand the meaning of Urdu words.
The court also directed the Delhi Government to produce copies of at least 10 FIRs registered with different police stations, so that the court can verify as to whether the Circular is being complied with.
