SC gives States one month to digitise police stations, upload FIRs

Chief Secretaries face contempt notices over non-appearance

Morung Express News
Dimapur | October 17

The Supreme Court has given all States and Union Territories one month to ensure that every police station is digitally connected and equipped with basic computer hardware and internet facilities, directing that First Information Reports (FIRs) be mandatorily uploaded to State-level portals, where available, and the national Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS).

In an order dated October 5, 2026, in G Ganesh versus State of Tamil Nadu and others, the Bench of Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice R Mahadevan observed that police stations lacking basic digitisation facilities were “absolutely unacceptable”.

The court also directed that Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) be digitised within the same one-month period. Compliance is to be monitored by the respective Chief Secretaries, Home Secretaries, Directors General of Police and officials overseeing child welfare departments, with States required to provide adequate funds.

The Bench further issued contempt notices to Chief Secretaries who had been directed to appear before it but failed to do so without exemption.

The directions form part of ongoing proceedings arising from a case that originated before the Madras High Court and have since expanded to examine the handling of missing persons, particularly women and children.

In an earlier order dated May 22, the Supreme Court directed police stations to register FIRs immediately upon receiving information about a missing person and ordered the creation of a nationwide system integrating police records with child-protection and anti-trafficking databases.