‘Reads Like a Movie Script’: Allahabad High Court Flags Filmy FIR in Bahraich Encounter Case
In a sharp rebuke to law enforcement, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has criticised what it described as “highly exaggerated” and “fanciful” drafting of First Information Reports, saying some appear more like borrowed film scripts than factual police accounts.
The court was examining an FIR registered in the Bahraich district following a police encounter linked to alleged cow slaughter.
During the hearing of a petition filed by one of the accused, Akbar Ali, the bench comprising Justices Abdul Moin and Pramod Kumar Srivastava pointed to glaring inconsistencies and dramatic dialogue contained in the document.
The FIR, lodged on January 22 at Jarwal Road police station, invoked provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 325 (mischief by killing or maiming an animal), Section 109(1) (attempt to murder for allegedly firing at a police team), along with sections of the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act and the Arms Act.
According to the police version, officers received a tip-off that cow slaughter was underway and that the accused were attempting to dispose of the meat.
The FIR claims that when the police reached the spot at 10.45 am, they overheard voices saying “ujala hone wala hai” (dawn is about to break).
It further narrates that the police team announced, “Tum log police se ghir chuke ho… aatm samarpan kar do” (You are surrounded by the police, surrender), to which the accused allegedly responded by urging one another to shoot at the officers.
The document even records one accused shouting, “Hai goli lag gai” (I have been shot), before three suspects were apprehended and a fourth allegedly escaped.
The bench, however, highlighted what it termed a “blatant incongruity”: if the encounter took place at 10.45 am, as mentioned in the FIR, how could the accused be speaking of dawn about to break?
The court observed that the FIR itself was registered later that day at 2.24 pm, yet described events that appeared implausible in timing and tone.
“…It is not understood as to how at 10.45 hours, dawn is still to break,” the judges remarked, adding that such contradictions reflect a “patent abuse of law at the behest of the authorities” and could render the FIR liable to be quashed.
The bench also took exception to what it called the repeated use of “filmy” dialogues in police reports.
“Time and again, this court has pointed out that the language being used in FIRs does not reflect the ground position,” the order noted, stating that the narrative appeared scripted, hearsay-based, and heavily influenced by cinematic tropes.
Expressing serious concern over what it described as a pattern in such filings, the court directed the Superintendent of Police, Bahraich, to submit a personal affidavit within two weeks addressing the discrepancies highlighted in the order.
Should the affidavit not be filed, the SP has been directed to appear before the court in person with relevant records on the next date of hearing, scheduled for March 16.
Until then, the court has ordered that no coercive action be taken against the petitioner in connection with the impugned FIR.
The observations mark a stern reminder from the judiciary about the importance of factual accuracy and restraint in criminal proceedings, particularly where personal liberty is at stake.
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