Overview
- The Supreme Court barred the phrases “Bakhidmat Janab SHO” and “Faryadi,” instructing that applications be addressed simply as “Janab SHO.”
- The ruling defined the person lodging an FIR as an informant, reserving “complainant” for private complaints under Section 200 of the Cr.P.C.
- The court reaffirmed that FIRs for cognisable offences must be registered without delay or prerequisites such as funeral rites, preliminary inquiries or written applications.
- Officers who unjustifiably delay FIR registration may face prosecution under Section 201 of the Pakistan Penal Code, with a presumption the delay was meant to aid the accused and trial courts empowered to act after notice.
- The judgment will be circulated to high and district courts nationwide for compliance, and the Sindh prosecutor general must submit a one-month report on average FIR delays in heinous cases.