The Allahabad High Court questioned the credibility of an FIR in a Bahraich cow slaughter case, saying it reads like a film script. The Court flagged a “blatant incongruity” in the timing of the alleged incident and sought a personal affidavit from the SP.
The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has raised serious doubts about the truthfulness of an FIR filed in a cow slaughter case in Bahraich district. The Court observed that the contents of the FIR appear more like a “movie script” than a real criminal complaint drafted on the basis of actual events.
A Division Bench of Justice Abdul Moin and Justice Babita Rani passed the order on February 16 while hearing a petition filed by Akbar Ali. The petitioner has challenged the FIR dated January 22, which was registered at Jarwal Road police station in Bahraich. The case has now been listed for further hearing on March 16.
During the hearing, the Court pointed out several serious contradictions in the FIR. It directed the Superintendent of Police (SP), Bahraich, to file a personal affidavit within two weeks explaining the inconsistencies.
The Bench clearly stated that if the personal affidavit is not filed within the given time, the SP must appear personally before the Court on the next date of hearing along with all relevant records. Until the next hearing, the Court has ordered that no coercive action shall be taken against the petitioner.
As per the FIR, the alleged incident took place at 10:45 in the morning. The prosecution claimed that the police received secret information about the slaughter of cow progeny and that the accused were trying to dispose of the meat.
When the police team reached the spot, they allegedly heard the accused saying,
“Ujala hone wala hai”
— meaning that dawn was about to break.
The FIR further states that the police surrounded the accused persons and asked them to surrender. It is claimed that the accused instead encouraged each other to fire at the police personnel. According to the police version, the police opened fire in response, and one of the accused shouted that he had been shot. Three persons were allegedly arrested at the spot, while one managed to escape. The arrested individuals reportedly took the name of the petitioner as being involved in the offence.
However, the High Court found a major contradiction in this version. The Bench observed that if the incident happened at 10:45 am, it is difficult to understand how the accused could be heard saying that dawn was about to break.
The Court described this as a “blatant incongruity,” and said that such inconsistency shows a possible abuse of the legal process. The Court further observed that this defect makes the FIR vulnerable and open to being quashed.
The Bench also commented on the dramatic and cinematic language used in the FIR. The Court noted that the style of drafting appears similar to popular movie dialogues rather than a factual police complaint.
The Bench referred specifically to statements like
“Tum log police se ghir chuke ho, Aatmsamarpan kar do”
and the accused persons shouting
“hai goli lag gai”.
According to the Court, such exaggerated and theatrical narration does not reflect real ground situations. Instead, it gives an impression that the story has been heavily inspired by film scripts rather than being based on actual facts.
With these strong observations, the Court has sought a clear explanation from the Bahraich Superintendent of Police and has protected the petitioner from any immediate arrest or coercive steps until the next hearing. The matter will now be taken up again on March 16, where the Court will examine the affidavit and decide the further course of action.
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