FIR Copies to Be Available Free Again on Punjab Police Portal

The Punjab government has withdrawn its decision to charge ₹80 for downloading First Information Reports (FIRs) from the Punjab Police’s Sanjh portal following widespread opposition. With the rollback, users will no longer have to pay any service fee to access FIR copies online. The Department of Governance Reforms and Information Technology, Punjab, issued a fresh notification stating that no charges will be levied for downloading FIRs from the Sanjh portal or for obtaining copies from Sanjh centres. The move restores the earlier system where such services were provided free of cost. The decision to impose a fee had triggered strong reactions across the state. Political leaders and various District Bar Associations had unanimously passed resolutions demanding the immediate withdrawal of the charges. The Punjab Police had started collecting the ₹80 fee from March 24. However, the order was revoked within a day of its implementation amid mounting criticism and public pressure.