Wrong Name in an FIR: How to Get It Corrected in West Bengal
An FIR or a GD entry often ends up in places nobody expects: an insurance claim, a motor accident case, a duplicate certificate, a passport file. If the police station wrote your name wrong, or wrote someone else's name where yours should be, the paper starts causing trouble months later. This page explains what the police can and cannot change in a registered FIR under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, how a wrong name is put right through a written application and a fresh statement, what to do if you are wrongly named as an accused, and when the matter belongs with a lawyer.
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How to Correct a Wrong Name in an FIR in West Bengal (Quick Answer)
A registered FIR is not rewritten. Give a written application to the Officer-in-Charge of the police station, quoting the FIR number and date, with your Aadhaar or other ID in the correct name. The Investigating Officer records your correct name in a fresh statement under Section 180 of the BNSS, notes it in the case diary, and the police report sent to court carries the right name. A copy of the FIR is free to the informant.
| Situation | Route |
|---|---|
| Your name as informant or victim spelt wrong | Written application to the OC, fresh statement to the IO |
| Wrong name in a lost document GD | Application at the same police station for a corrected entry |
| e-FIR not yet signed | Correct it when you sign at the police station |
| Charge sheet already filed in court | Application before the court, through a lawyer |
| You are wrongly named as an accused | Representation to OC and SP; lawyer for bail or quashing |
Can the Police Change a Name in a Registered FIR in West Bengal?
The First Information Report is recorded under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), which replaced Section 154 of the old Code of Criminal Procedure from 1 July 2024. It is a record of what the informant told the police on that day, so once it is registered and numbered, the police station does not rewrite it.
That does not leave you stuck with a wrong name. The investigation that follows the FIR is where the correct name is recorded. The Investigating Officer (IO) examines people under Section 180 of the BNSS, writes up each step in the case diary, and finally sends a police report to the Magistrate under Section 193. If your correct name is on record during the investigation, that is the name the court sees.
So the practical aim is not to "edit the FIR". It is to get a written, dated record at the police station that the name in the FIR is wrong and what the right name is.
Where a Wrong Name in an FIR Causes Trouble Later
Most people never look at the name in their FIR until someone else does. An insurer settling a theft or accident claim compares the FIR with the policy. A Motor Accident Claims Tribunal compares it with the victim's papers, see motor accident claim name mismatch. An accident insurance claim under PMSBY needs the FIR too, see PMJJBY and PMSBY claims.
A GD or FIR copy for a lost document is the first paper asked for when you apply for a duplicate marksheet, RC, SIM or passport. If the name on it does not match the document you lost, the office may send you back to the police station.
And when your name, or a name close to yours, appears as an accused, it can surface at passport police verification or a character certificate check. See police verification name mismatch.
How to Apply for Name Correction in an FIR at the Police Station
Write a short application to the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the police station where the FIR was registered. Quote the FIR number, date and the sections mentioned. State plainly how your name appears in the FIR and how it should read, and ask that your correct name be recorded in the investigation.
Attach a self-attested copy of your Aadhaar, voter ID or passport in the correct name, and a copy of the FIR. Hand it in at the police station and ask for a receiving copy with the station's stamp and date, or send it by registered post. Keep that receiving copy carefully; it is your proof.
The IO may call you to give a statement. Tell the IO your correct name and spelling, and check that it is written correctly. If the OC ignores the application, Section 173(4) of the BNSS lets you send the matter in writing to the Superintendent of Police, or the Deputy Commissioner in Kolkata Police areas.
How to Get an FIR Copy in West Bengal and Check the Name
Under Section 173(2) of the BNSS, the informant or victim gets a copy of the FIR free of cost. Ask for it the same day and read the names before you leave.
If you filed an e-FIR, Section 173(1)(ii) says it is taken on record only after you sign it within three days. That signature is your best chance to spot a wrong name before the FIR is numbered.
Following the Supreme Court's 2016 order in Youth Bar Association of India, police forces upload most FIRs online within 24 hours, except sensitive ones. The CID West Bengal FIR search covers only some units (Howrah, Sealdah, Siliguri and Kharagpur GRP districts, Malda, Jalpaiguri, CID and STF); other districts and Kolkata Police keep FIRs on their own websites.
Wrong Name in a Lost Document GD Entry
A General Diary (GD) entry for a lost paper is not an FIR. It is a simple record at the police station, and Kolkata Police has also offered e-GD kiosks for lost items. Because it is not a criminal case, a wrong name in a GD is usually easier to fix.
Go back to the same police station with the GD copy and your ID, and ask for a fresh GD or a corrected entry quoting the old GD number. Some stations make a new entry instead of correcting the old one; either works if the new one names you correctly and refers to the old one.
Check the GD against the lost document itself, not only your Aadhaar. If your marksheet says "Md. Rafikul Islam" and the GD says "Mohammad Rafikul", the board may still ask questions. See Md, Mohd, Sk and Sheikh spellings.
Wrongly Named as an Accused in an FIR in West Bengal
This is the serious case: the FIR names you, or someone with your name, but you had nothing to do with it. Do not ignore it, and do not try to settle it through an agent.
Give a written representation to the OC and the IO with proof of who you are and where you were, and send a copy to the Superintendent of Police or Deputy Commissioner. The police can find during investigation that you were wrongly named and leave you out of the police report.
Anticipatory bail, and a petition to the Calcutta High Court under Section 528 of the BNSS to quash the FIR, are a criminal lawyer's job, not ours. If you cannot afford a lawyer, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) gives free legal aid to those who qualify.
When the Charge Sheet Is Already Filed
Once the police report (charge sheet) is filed under Section 193 of the BNSS, the case sits with the court. The police station can no longer quietly fix the papers.
A wrong name of a witness, victim or accused at this stage is corrected by an application before the court, usually filed by the Public Prosecutor or the accused's lawyer. The court records the correct name in its order. This is legal work for a lawyer.
If you only need the right name for an insurer or bank, a certified copy of that court order, together with your ID, usually settles it.
Insurance and Bank Claims: When an Affidavit Helps
For a small difference, like initials in the FIR and a full name in the policy, many insurers accept the FIR along with an affidavit that both names belong to the same person. See one and the same person affidavit.
For a different surname or a completely different name, correct the record at the police station first. An affidavit cannot change what the FIR says; it only explains the gap to the office reading it.
A gazette notification is not needed and does not change an FIR. Police records are corrected by the police and the court.
Mistakes With FIR Name Corrections
Leaving without reading the FIR copy
Check every name the same day.
Signing an e-FIR without checking
You get three days; use them.
Oral requests only
Give a written application and keep the receiving copy.
Filing a fresh FIR to fix a name
One incident, one FIR. Ask for a correction in the investigation.
Ignoring a wrong accused name
Act at once, in writing, and see a lawyer.
Paying middlemen at the police station
The FIR copy is free; apply directly.
How to Fix a Wrong Name in an FIR, in Order
Get the FIR or GD copy
Free to the informant under Section 173(2).
Compare names
With your Aadhaar and the document involved.
Write to the OC
FIR number, wrong name, correct name, ID attached.
Keep the receiving copy
Stamped and dated, or send by registered post.
Give a statement to the IO
Check the spelling is written correctly.
Escalate or go to court if needed
SP or DCP; lawyer once the charge sheet is filed.
Wrong Name in an FIR in West Bengal: FAQs
Can a registered FIR be edited in West Bengal?
No. The FIR stays as recorded; the correct name is recorded during investigation through a written application and a fresh statement to the IO.
Whom do I apply to for a wrong name in an FIR?
The Officer-in-Charge of the police station where the FIR was registered, and the Investigating Officer of the case.
What should the application say?
FIR number and date, how your name appears, how it should read, and a request to record the correct name. Attach your ID.
Is the FIR copy free?
Yes. Section 173(2) of the BNSS gives the informant or victim a free copy.
I filed an e-FIR and the name is wrong.
An e-FIR is taken on record after you sign it within three days. Point out the error when you sign.
Where can I find my FIR online in West Bengal?
The CID West Bengal FIR search covers some units only; other districts and Kolkata Police use their own websites.
My lost document GD has a wrong name.
Go back to the same police station with your ID and ask for a corrected or fresh GD quoting the old number.
Should I file a new FIR with the right name?
No. One incident has one FIR. Ask for the correction in the investigation.
The police station does not respond.
Send the matter in writing to the Superintendent of Police, or the Deputy Commissioner in Kolkata Police areas, under Section 173(4) BNSS.
I am wrongly named as an accused.
Write to the OC, IO and SP with proof, and see a criminal lawyer about bail or quashing. DLSA gives free legal aid to those who qualify.
Is a gazette needed to correct an FIR?
No. A gazette does not change police or court records.
Can you correct the FIR for us?
No. Only the police and the court can. We help with the affidavit linking names for insurers and banks.
Sources for FIR Name Corrections
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
indiacode.nic.in: Sections 173, 180, 192, 193 and 528.
FIR Search for Citizen, CID West Bengal
cid.wb.gov.in: units covered by the state FIR search.
West Bengal Police (official)
wbpolice.gov.in: district police contacts.
Kolkata Police (official)
kolkatapolice.gov.in: police stations in the Kolkata Police area.
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Help When Your FIR and Your Papers Do Not Match
Only the police and the court can correct an FIR, and you apply to them directly. Where we help is the affidavit that links the names in the FIR with your policy, bank or certificate, when the gap is small. Send us how each paper reads. Monday to Saturday, across West Bengal.