1) If you are reporting a crime and the police denies to register your FIR on unreasonable grounds, you can make a complaint to a higher ranking officer. If the Police still deny lodging your FIR, you can make a formal complaint to the nearest judicial magistrate, who will direct the police to register the FIR if deemed necessary.
2) A police officer can refuse to file your complaint if he believes the case is of petty issue or also if they don’t have the territorial jurisdiction in such cases. Crimes are generally segregated into “cognizable” and “non-cognizable” offences. FIRs are lodged only for cognizable crimes, for non-cognizable crimes a complaint is submitted to the magistrate who in return directs the police for action.
A “cognizable” crime covers for example murder, rape, rioting, dacoity, etc, that is crimes where arrest can be made without warrant & when such crimes are of a serious nature. A “non-cognizable” crime covers for example cheating, fraud, forgery, bigamy, selling underweight or adulterated food or creating a public nuisance, that is crimes where arrest can not be made without warrant & such crimes are not of serious nature. The simplest understanding being that the call for Action is time bound.
3) Approach Superintendent of Police
If the concerned officer in charge refuses to register a first information report about commission of a cognizable offence within his territorial jurisdiction under Sec. 154(3), the informant can approach any senior officer of police or the Superintendent of Police or the Commissioner of the police with a written complaint. If, after analysing the complaint it is satisfied that the complaint discloses a cognizable offence, he may moreover investigate the case himself or give directions to his subordinate to register the FIR and initiate investigation in the matter.
4) Complaint to Judicial Magistrate
If even after submitting a complaint to Senior Police officials no FIR is lodged then the informant is legally entitled to file a complaint to the Judicial Magistrate/ Metropolitan Magistrate u/s 156(3) read with Section 190 of the criminal procedure thereby requesting the FIR to be registered by the police and commencing investigation into the matter.