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PIL seeks replacement of Urdu/Persian words in police work Urdu/Persian Meaning

If you find police procedures perplexing, take some time and read police documents. You will need a Persian/Urdu scholar to unlock the mystery of an FIR that is often full of words like musna, zaabta and moharrir.

Even though English or Hindi are now increasingly being used in daily documentation by the police force, many legal documents such as FIRs still have complex Urdu and Persian words.

Now, a PIL has been filed in the Delhi high court seeking to replace these words with easy and relatable words from Hindi and English.

The public interest litigation has sought a direction to the city police to replace “archaic and difficult words and phrases of Persian and Urdu language” which often confuse people with simple words from Hindi and English.

Advocate Amit Sahni, who filed the PIL, says the Delhi Police more often than not use difficult words for recording statement of witnesses, submitting of challan, registration of FIRs and in courts documents, etc.

“Every person has the right to know the charges against him or the proceedings that are going in a case that involves him. If such words are made simpler, the concerned aggrieved person would also be able to appreciate the police proceedings,” Sahni Moharrir Musna Insdaad Jarayam Majroob Imroz Deeda danishta Peshbandi Pulinda Nishan Angusht Aarinda Aqab Arsaal Inkashaf Musammi Mazkoora Mustaba Indaraj Mutafarriq Adam pata told HT.

A bench of chief justice G Rohini and justice Jayant Nath on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre and the Delhi Police on the PIL and further asked whether police of other states are still using Urdu and Persian words.

Sahni said police personnel are made to learn these words during their training at the Records incharge copy/carbon copy prevention of crime Injured Today Knowingly Advance intimation Packet Finger prints Reporting person Following Sending, forwarding Disclosure Mr/Ms As narrated Suspect Entry Miscellaneous Untraceable police training college.

“The 80,000- plus personnel of the Delhi Police have to learn 132 Urdu words as part of their lesson plan,” he said. Sahni said though the practice of using Persian and Urdu words in the police complaints was common in many states, most of them have discontinued “usage of such perplexing terms”. The case will be heard next October 24.