Highly exaggerated, fanciful, script borrowed from Hindi movies: The Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench used strong terms while taking note of police repeatedly using a set pattern in FIRs lodged into crime incidents. It also called the FIRs absurd and not reflecting the ground position.
It pointed to one of the FIRs lodged in Bahraich district after an alleged police encounter led to the arrest of persons involved in cow slaughter, which mentions dialogues popularly used in Hindi movies like ‘tum log police se ghir chuke ho (You are surrounded by the police)’.
The FIR also refers to a purported conversation during the encounter, in which the accused says ‘ujala hone wala hai (dawn is about to break)’ — even though the time of encounter mentioned in the FIR is 10.45 am.
Pointing to the blatant incongruity in the FIR, and abuse of law at the behest of authorities, the bench of Justices Abdul Moin and Pramod Kumar Srivastava in its order dated February 16 observed, “Time has come for the courts to now step in and put a check to the fanciful and highly exaggerated FIRs which are being lodged by the authorities, of which the case in hand is a blatant example.”
The bench has directed the Superintendent of Police of Bahraich to file a personal affidavit in two weeks or appear before the court if he fails to do so.
Statements the court felt were borrowed from Hindi movie dialogues
The court was hearing a petition filed by Akbar Ali, one of three accused arrested in the Bahraich case, seeking relief.
The FIR was lodged on January 22 under BNS sections 325 (mischief by killing or maiming animal), 109(1) (attempt to murder for firing at police team) and offences under the UP Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act and Arms Act at the Jarwal Road police station.
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In its order, the court stated that the time when the FIR was lodged is mentioned as 2.24 pm, and the time when the police team allegedly confronted the accused and entered into an exchange of fire has been indicated as 10.45 am the same day.
The FIR stated that the team was tipped-off by an informer about alleged cow slaughter and that the persons involved were in the process of disposing of the meat.
The court observed that as per the FIR, when the police team reached the spot, they heard some voices saying, “ujala hone wala hai”.
“The police party is said to have yelled out: ‘… tum police se ghir chuke ho… aatm samarpan kar do (You have been surrounded by the police and should surrender)”, the court noted, referring to the FIR.
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The court then said the FIR further mentions that in response to the police warning, the accused said “… Yeh police wale hain, inko goli maro, bachkar nahin jaane chahiye (These are policemen, shoot them. None of them should survive).”
The bench stated that the police, in the FIR, mentioned that they fired at the accused and one of them yelled out “… Hai goli lag gai (Oh no, I have been shot)”.
Thereafter, the police team caught hold of three persons while a fourth person fled, the FIR stated.
The court observed in its order, “… Why we indicate that the entire FIR reads like a movie script is that the FIR [was] lodged on 22.01.2026 at 14.24 hours, [but] the incident is said to be of 10.45 [am] the same day… and the FIR indicates… the persons being arrested [saying] ‘ujala hone wala hai’…”
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“… So, it is not understood as to how at 10.45 hours, dawn is still to break!! This blatant incongruity in the FIR itself reflects the patent abuse of law at the behest of the authorities, rendering the FIR as capable of being quashed,” it further said.
It then pointed to the use of “filmy” dialogues. “However, we may also note that the FIR uses a popular dialogue of movies i.e. ‘Tum log police se ghir chuke ho…’ The accused persons are yelling out ‘hai goli lag gai’, etc,” the bench observed.
Taking a serious note and expressing concern, the bench observed, “Time and again, this court has pointed out that the language being used in the FIRs does not reflect the ground position, rather appears to be hearsay, scripted and… heavily borrowed from movie scripts and is fanciful and highly exaggerated.”
“… the allegations… levelled in the FIR are fanciful and prima facie absurd and inherently improbable as detailed above. Considering the aforesaid, this court requires the Superintendent of Police, District Bahraich, to file his personal affidavit replying to the aforesaid incongruities that emerge from bare perusal of the FIR. The personal affidavit be filed within two weeks,” the court directed.
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While listing the case on March 16, the court also directed that in case the personal affidavit is not filed, the SP shall appear in person, along with the record, to assist the court on the next date of listing. Till then, no coercive action shall be taken against the petitioner pursuant to the impugned FIR, it said.
