What to Do in Punjab When Police Refuse or Delay Your FIR

If a Punjab police station will not register your FIR, write to the SDPO, SP or District Police Officer, then complain to the IGP Complaint Center on 1787. If the police still do nothing, a lawyer can apply to the Sessions Judge, who acts as Justice of the Peace under section 22-A(6) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. We read the Punjab Police pages and the Code itself on 7 October 2026.

This page covers only the gap. How to get a copy of an FIR that already exists is explained in the guide to checking an FIR online. This one is for the person standing at the station while the duty officer says "come tomorrow".

The police must register a cognizable offence when you report it

Section 154 of the Code says information about a cognizable offence must be written down by the officer in charge of the station, read back to you and signed by you. A cognizable offence is one where police can arrest without a warrant, such as theft, robbery, assault or kidnapping.

Punjab Police says the same on its own FAQ page. Every person has a right to have a case registered. You may report orally or in writing, and a certified copy of the FIR, signed and stamped by the officer, must be given to you. The page states plainly that no police officer has the authority to refuse registration.

There is one honest exception. For a non-cognizable offence, section 155 applies. The officer enters it in a book and sends you to a Magistrate. So ask the officer, politely, which section he thinks applies, and ask him to put the refusal in writing. A polite request for a written reason often changes the answer.

Start with a written application and the senior police officers

First hand over a written application at the station and keep a copy with a stamp or a receiving signature. If the station refuses even that, go up the chain. Punjab Police tells you to inform the SDPO, the SP or the District Police Officer responsible for law and order in your area.

A written complaint works better than a phone call. Write the date, time and place, who did it if you know, what was done, and the day you first went to the station. Add your CNIC copy and keep a receipt.

1. Hand over a written application at the station and keep a copy.
2. Ask the officer for the refusal in writing.
3. Write to the SDPO, SP or District Police Officer.
4. Call or SMS 1787 and note the complaint number.
5. Ask a lawyer about a 22-A application to the Sessions Judge.

A Police Khidmat Markaz gives FIR copies, loss reports and crime reports, as the guide to Police Khidmat Markaz services in Punjab lists. We found no rule that it can force a station to register your case.

Call or SMS 1787 and the complaint goes to a senior officer

The IGP Complaint Center takes complaints by call or SMS on 1787, by email and online. Non-registration of FIRs is a listed type of complaint. Punjab Police says the complaint goes to a senior officer, never below the rank of Sub Divisional Police Officer.

That officer is bound to call you within 8 hours and report back to the centre that he has made contact. You can follow the complaint online and send feedback. This is the quickest route we found, and it costs nothing.

One trap. Some people still quote 8787. The Punjab Police page is titled IGP Police Complaint Center 1787, and the 8787 figure survives only in the web address of the page and in an older Police page. Use 1787. For an emergency in progress, call 15, not 1787, because the complaint centre is not an emergency line.

The Sindh route is different, with its own number and portal. If you are in Sindh, the guide to getting an FIR registered in Sindh when police refuse has it.

A Justice of the Peace can direct the police to register the case

Section 22-A(6) of the Code lets an ex-officio Justice of the Peace issue directions to the police on a complaint about non-registration of a criminal case. Section 25 makes Sessions Judges, and Additional Sessions Judges they nominate, Justices of the Peace for the whole district.

The same sub-section covers two more situations that matter to you. A Justice of the Peace can also direct a transfer of an investigation from one police officer to another, and can act on neglect, failure or excess by a police authority. So the route is not only for a refused FIR.

A lawyer normally drafts the application and files it in the Sessions Court of your district. We have not filed one and we do not give a court fee or a time limit, because we did not read a published figure. If the Justice of the Peace is satisfied, the judge directs the police, and you should ask for a copy of the order.

A private complaint to a Magistrate under section 200 is a slower option. Ask a lawyer whether it fits.

If the FIR exists but the case is slow or unfair

You can ask for the investigation to be changed. Punjab Police says the Police Order 2002 allows two transfers of investigation. Apply in writing, with your CNIC copy and the FIR number, to the SP Investigation or District Police Officer, the Regional Police Officer, or the Additional IGP Investigation at the Central Police Office.

The first change is ordered after review by a district board and the second by the IGP. Punjab Police notes a board usually does not recommend a transfer until the investigation is finished. So do not expect a quick change.

Never file a false case to force action. Punjab Police says section 182 of the Pakistan Penal Code punishes a deliberately false case with up to six months in prison, a fine, or both. For a stolen vehicle, the guide on how to report a stolen car in Pakistan and get the FIR sets out what to carry.

Common questions

Can police refuse to register an FIR in Punjab?

No for a cognizable offence. Punjab Police says no officer has the authority to refuse. For a non-cognizable offence the officer sends you to a Magistrate.

What is the IGP complaint number in Punjab?

1787, by call or SMS. The older 8787 appears only in the web address of the page and in an older Police page.

What is a Justice of the Peace?

A Sessions Judge, or a nominated Additional Sessions Judge, acting under sections 22-A and 25 of the Code. The judge can direct police to register a case.

Do I need a lawyer for a 22-A application?

A lawyer normally drafts it. We found no published rule that bars you from filing yourself, but ask a lawyer first.

How long will the 1787 complaint take?

The officer must call within 8 hours. Punjab Police publishes a timeline chart as an image for final reports, which we could not read as text.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 7 October 2026. We read the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 on the Pakistan Code PDF, sections 154, 155, 22-A(6), 25 and 200. We read punjabpolice.gov.pk, including its FAQ, its IGP Complaint Center 1787 page and its public services page. The Police Order 2002 transfer rules are as the Punjab Police FAQ describes them. The final-report timeline on the complaint page is an image, so we state no figure for it. We filed no complaint and no 22-A application, so we give no court fee or time limit. This is general information and not legal advice. Ask a lawyer about your case.