Tue Jun 24 11:38:40 UTC 2025: ## News Article: Puducherry Police Mandated to File FIRs in Regional Languages
**PUDUCHERRY, June 24, 2025 (The Hindu) -** In a move to improve accessibility and comprehension of the legal process, the Police Department of Puducherry has made it mandatory for all police stations within the Union Territory to register First Information Reports (FIRs) in the respective regional languages of their enclaves.
The directive follows an instruction from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, issued during a high-level meeting reviewing the implementation of new criminal laws in Puducherry. Shah directed the UT to use Tamil for Puducherry and Karaikal, Malayalam for Mahe, and Telugu for Yanam in FIR filings. Mahe is geographically located in Kerala, while Yanam is situated along the coast of Andhra Pradesh.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Law and Order), R. Kalaivanan, announced the new policy in a press note, stating that Director General of Police Shalini Singh has issued a standing order to all police stations enforcing the change.
“This initiative is a crucial step towards the successful and people-centric implementation of the new criminal laws across the UT,” Kalaivanan stated. He emphasized the importance of the measure in ensuring that citizens can easily understand and engage with the legal process.
The police department hopes the change will foster greater trust and confidence in the police force by making the legal system more accessible and understandable to the local population.
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