Every complaint must be taken note of, the order of the Union Home Ministry to the states

- Response to a report that the police do not take a rape complaint

New Delhi on Saturday, October 10, 2020

In the last few days, there have been frequent complaints that the police were involved in registering rape complaints. Now the Union Home Ministry had urged the state governments that the police are bound to take up every complaint of the citizens. Each state should take note of this matter and sabotage its own police system.

The Home Ministry said it was important to note that complaints, especially of women being pushed to the police station, would no longer be taken into account. It will not work for the police to register an FIR. States were urged to be especially vigilant in this regard.

The Home Ministry, citing various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code, warned that strict action would be taken against the state police if negligence was proved. "Every state and union territory should take note of this," the home ministry said. The Home Department said in no uncertain terms that the officers who did not lodge a complaint under Section 166 A (c) of the Indian Penal Code were committing a punishable offense.

The police were bound to conduct a medical examination of the victim within 24 hours of a rape complaint under Section 164 of the Indian Crimes Procedure Code. Under Section 173 of the same Act, there was a provision to complete the investigation of rape within two months. The police system was bound to enforce it.