FIR translation to English: getting a copy and reading it

An FIR (First Information Report) is usually written in the language of the police station: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil and so on. You will need it in English when the case reaches a court that works in English, when an advocate or family member elsewhere has to read it, or for an employer, embassy or insurer. Start with a clean copy of the FIR, translate every part of it including the printed headings, and check sections, dates and names against the original.

How do you get a copy of an FIR?

• If you gave the information or are the victim. Section 173(2) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) says a copy of the information as recorded must be given forthwith, free of cost, to the informant or the victim. (Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, section 173)
• If you are the accused, once a chargesheet is filed. Section 230 of the BNSS requires the Magistrate to furnish the accused, free of cost and within fourteen days of production or appearance, copies of the police report, the FIR and the other listed documents (large documents may be supplied electronically or made available for inspection). (Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, section 230)
• From the police website. Many state police websites publish FIRs. Maharashtra Police lets you search published FIRs by date range, district and police station on its citizen portal. Delhi Police has a View FIR service. Not every FIR is published online; if you cannot find one, ask at the police station or, once the case is in court, through your advocate. (Maharashtra Police, Search and View Published FIR; Delhi Police, View FIR)

FIRs registered before 1 July 2024 were recorded under section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, and the printed form usually says so in its heading. The translation should keep the provision exactly as printed.

What does an FIR record?

FIRs generated through the police's computerised system follow a standard printed form. The headings vary a little between states, but you will usually find:

• District, police station, year, FIR number and date. Together these identify the FIR. Keep them exactly as written.
• Acts and sections. The laws and sections the police registered the case under. FIRs for offences committed on or after 1 July 2024 cite the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; earlier offences stay under the Indian Penal Code, 1860, even if the FIR is registered later. Special laws are listed separately.
• Occurrence of the offence. Day, date and time of the incident, and when the information was received at the police station.
• Type of information. Whether the information was written or oral, and the General Diary reference.
• Place of occurrence. Address, beat, and the distance and direction from the police station.
• Complainant or informant. Name, father's or husband's name, address and other particulars.
• Accused. Details of known, suspected or unknown accused.
• Reasons for delay in reporting, if any.
• Property stolen or involved, with its value.
• The narrative. The informant's account, often handwritten or typed from dictation. This is the part people most need in English.
• Action taken, the signature of the officer in charge, and the date and time the FIR was sent to the Magistrate. Readers often rely on these times when delay is in issue.

How to translate an FIR well

• Translate the whole document, printed headings and stamps included, not just the narrative. A reader who cannot see which box a sentence came from may misread it.
• Keep the section list exactly. Check every section number and the name of the Act. An FIR that cites both old and new laws must be translated as it stands, not corrected.
• Transliterate names. Names of people, villages and police stations are written in English letters, not translated. Spell them consistently throughout.
• Check every number and date. FIR number, dates and times, amounts and vehicle numbers, digit by digit, including any written in Devanagari or other Indian numerals.
• Keep the informant's words. The narrative should read like what the informant said, including vague or informal phrasing. Do not tidy it into stronger or clearer allegations.
• Mark what is illegible. Handwritten FIRs and carbon copies are often faint. Write "[illegible]" rather than guessing.
• Show the stamps. The police station seal and the officer's signature should be noted in the translation.

For the vocabulary of police papers, see Hindi to English legal translation and Marathi to English legal translation.

Can a working translation of an FIR be filed in court?

It depends on the court. The Supreme Court and High Courts have their own rules on translations of documents in other languages, and some require official or certified translations. See translation requirements in Indian courts, exemption from filing official translation and certified, official or machine translation. For reading the FIR, advising a client and drafting, a careful working translation is usually what you need.

Where NyayTranslate fits

Upload the FIR as a PDF, or as a phone photo if it is a single page (a multi-page FIR is easiest as one scanned PDF). NyayTranslate translates it into English (or into Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali or Punjabi) and keeps the layout of the form, including stamps and handwriting, subject to legibility. You can see the first two pages translated free before paying; most FIRs are only a few pages, at Rs 10 per page.

The output is a machine translation for review. It is not certified, sworn, official or court-approved. Use the route the receiving court or authority requires.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; check the current rules and practice directions of your court.