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 the 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 before the court and explained the procedure available to citizens.
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 registered by the state police.
Police Demonstrate Online Access Process
During the hearing, police officials informed the court that FIRs can currently be accessed through the ‘Citizen’ and ‘Devbhoomi’ applications.
The bench was told that the facility is presently available on Android devices but not on Apple phones.
Officials explained that users are required to download and log in to the ‘Devbhoomi’ application, furnish the required details and upload a selfie. Once the process is completed, the FIR can be viewed and downloaded.
The technical team also gave the court a live demonstration of the procedure.
Court Had Earlier Questioned Compliance
At an earlier hearing, the High Court had questioned the police department over compliance with Supreme Court directions concerning public access to FIRs.
The Supreme Court has directed that FIRs, except those falling within specified exceptions, should be uploaded online after registration to enable access by the general public.
The High Court had also warned that the Uttarakhand Director General of Police would be required to appear personally at the next hearing if the online access facility was not restored.
After the police explained the existing app-based system and demonstrated how FIRs could be accessed, the High Court disposed of the petition.
