Supreme Court Seeks Centre, State Responses on PIL to Deter False Complaints

Overview

• A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi issued notice on February 26 after hearing petitioner-advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.
• Notices were sent to the Union Government, all states and Union Territories, and the National Human Rights Commission, seeking their positions on preventive steps.
• The PIL requests display boards at police stations, courts, panchayat and municipal offices, and educational institutions outlining penalties for false complaints and fabricated evidence.
• The plea also seeks pre‑FIR warnings about penal consequences and mandatory undertakings or affidavits from complainants, with the petitioner additionally urging consecutive sentences for proven falsehoods.
• CJI Surya Kant emphasized societal sensitisation and noted instances where false cases are filed using fake signatures, while the petition cites NCRB data, the Law Commission’s 277th Report and provisions in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; the matter now awaits governmental responses.