Translating an FIR: what to verify before you annex it
Names, dates and sections: the passages worth checking against the original, and what the Supreme Court expects of a translation.
A Hindi FIR annexed to a petition in English is read by someone who cannot check it. If the translation has the wrong section or the wrong date, the petition inherits the mistake.
What to check, line by line
- Sections of the offence. FIRs registered after 1 July 2024 are under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and, for the FIR itself, Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Earlier ones cite the IPC and Section 154 of the CrPC. Keep the section numbers exactly as they are written; do not convert them.
- Dates and times. Hindi dates and numerals are easy to mis-transcribe. Check the date of the incident, the date of the report and the time against the original.
- Names and relationships. Spellings, father’s name, and the way the informant describes his relation to the accused.
- Place names, police station and case crime number. Transliterate once and use the same spelling throughout the petition.
- Numbers and amounts, in both words and figures.
What the Supreme Court requires
Under Order VIII, Rule 2 of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013 a document in a language other than English cannot be used unless it comes with a translation that is agreed by the parties or certified by a translator the Court approves. The Court has also made clear that the Advocate-on-Record is answerable for the translations filed, and has criticised machine translation where nobody has checked it.
This is practice guidance for advocates, not legal advice. Rules and notices change: check the current rule or notice of the court before you file.