Worried About a False FIR? How It Might Affect Your Career and Job Prospects

One of our family enemies filed a false FIR against all our family members over a property dispute. However, I was exonerated by the police. I was never arrested or charged. I never faced any trial or summons by the court or police. The police stated in its final report that there is no evidence against me.

Impact of False FIR on Career

Now, my question is whether this false FIR will have any impact on my placements or career. I have no criminal cases pending against me. Do I need to mention this false FIR on my resume? Do background checks include whether any FIR was filed? Will it have any adverse impact on my prospects?

A person who intentionally causes damage to another's reputation is subjected to punitive action for defamation, with its own limitations. Proof of the statement must be shown along with evidence that the individual's intensified statements against you were false.

The false accusations (as stated by you) made against you have been documented in an FIR, which is a critical step. Understanding the FIR Process

An FIR, or First Information Report, is filed over any commission of offense; where any informant may inform the police, who then file a report presented to the court for trial, where the accused has to attend the appeal filed against them. From my understanding, by attending the plea and proving no documents and evidence are available, your case will be dismissed.

My point here is that an FIR will be recorded. Nevertheless, you will have to inform the employer overall, as many employment checks often run on experience, education, and individual background. Improving initiation, therefore, lessens the impact on your career progression.

The impact is trivial in nature based on how competently you handle the employer during the interview.

Good luck!

Thank you very much, ma'am, for your valuable advice. I would like to get some opinions on what specifically companies check when it comes to individuals—whether any First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against the person, or if the person has been formally charged, prosecuted, or arrested. An FIR can be filed by anyone against another person, but it needs to be taken cognizance of by the court (in my case, no cognizance was taken).

Thank you very much, ma'am, for your valuable advice. I would like to seek your opinion on what specific aspects companies typically check during background verification. For instance, do they look into whether an FIR has been filed against an individual or if the person has been formally charged, prosecuted, or arrested? It is worth noting that an FIR can be lodged by any person against anyone, but it needs to be acknowledged by the court for further action to be taken (in my case, no cognizance was taken).

As part of the background checking process, the background agency or the employer usually visits the local police station in the applicant's place of residence to review any records that have been filed. In cases where no cognizance has been taken, it indicates that there is no formal indictment against the individual.

One more point I wish to add. If you desire, you might as well mention briefly about the case and the ultimate status of the case in your CV. If possible, you might also attach documentary evidence to support your status. I hope that making a true statement in your CV would add to your virtues, sincerity, and honesty, which would be appreciated by the interviewer. Display that you have nothing to hide. I think that being a property dispute, which has nothing to do with your career or character/conduct, the due weightage thereof shall be given by your employer to be in proper perspective.

On a practical side, make sure that the HC at the police station does not spoil your party; try to keep them in good humor and happy with you.

All the best, pal.

Regards,
kumar.s.

In addition to what has been contributed by our experts and leaders, please consider initiating a background verification on your own. That will give a clearer picture of what your future employer would see, thereby helping you set your plan of actions.

Background Verification Process

A background verification can be initiated by registering in the National Skill Registry, Nasscom. You never know, nothing might affect as the police already closed this case. They would even issue you a certificate that you can offer with your resume to your future employers. It might take some investment for you, but it will be worthwhile.

Wish you all the best.

From the description, it can only be said that a complaint was filed against you and other family members before the Police Station. The police, after basic investigations, closed the case. Thus, technically, the complaint has not turned into an FIR. Only after the police find substance in the complaint is an FIR made. In petty matters like the loss of an identity card or driving license, one is required to make a complaint to the police before a duplicate is issued. The police just keep it on record, and no further cognizance is taken. Since in your matter too, no cognizance has been taken, this is not a case where you have been prosecuted or arrested for any criminal offense.

I seriously don't think there is any problem because individually you have done nothing wrong, as you said above. However, in another statement, you mentioned, "I have no criminal case pending against me," which I want you to clarify. Is there anything that you are not comfortable sharing with us? The property dispute/FIR against your family and anything that can affect your career are totally different matters.

Second, you must not take it as if this issue can affect your professional life, or I should say you must not drag these personal things into your professional life consideration. Although, I accept sometimes these kinds of problems bother us a lot and force us to think over these things or put us in a dilemma about whether these can disturb our professional life or not, we often forget in this situation that by taking worries and mixing our personal life problems with our professional life, we are actually allowing them to bother our professional life.

Also, I do not agree with Sharmila Ji that you should tell all about the FIR and dispute to your employer, which can certainly affect your job and create many questions and doubts/inquiries on an immediate basis, and I believe that you won't really accept. However, I accept background verification may disclose these things, but we must not forget these are related to your personal life, not concerning your career life or past employments, which actually matter most for your employers/recruiters.

Moreover, with the process of background verification, recruiters and employers like to know the work history of an employee/candidate, nature and behavior/dealing at work, and any legal/criminal activity (if any) in personal and professional life which can affect them in any way, not about family disputes and issues running in the family. Though these issues and family problems can impact a candidate/employee mentally, if you are strong or are able to handle yourself (i.e., depression) and never let these things come into play at work, there would be no problem for you. Now it's totally up to you.

One thing I really don't understand is why people are scared of background verification and feel like recruiters/employers are very much interested in knowing their personal life or, should I say, consider it more than employment history.

Lastly, I seriously want to know from candidates/members, how many of you have experienced or, being a recruiter/employer, have adopted this kind of background verification in your professional life?

I would suggest you be free-minded and step ahead with confidence in your professional life and must not share these family problems with your employers/recruiters.

For example, a candidate must not share family information or any kind of family details during an interview unless asked by the interviewer, so the same applies here. You must not be too honest but professional, sincere, and confident. Hope you got my point.

Best of Luck

Dear Anil ji, every person has their own stance. If I may say, "It's now or never," which impacts any information given to most employers. For instance, a passport as an identity proof—do you think employers keep it as a testimony? NO, employers have their background checks on each and every document provided (either professionally or personally).

Besides, let me cite a tiny example. Our CEO requested me to do a background verification on an employee after he had worked for almost a year and a half. Despite the verification done at the time of his joining, we had no digression towards his professional milieu. However, when we recently observed his behavior, we found a foray into his personal intricacy. [He had a hit-and-run case in the past.]

Each day we see many things in our lives, but are you sure if you are not veritable to your employer, you may have to face issues later? I know and understand that being proactive initially may get you no jobs. Rather, one in 10 employers will foresee this amicably.

Let him decide his point of view. I'm sure many excuses can get you in trouble. Instead, a straightforward aspect keeps anyone safe.

I was a victim of a false FIR filed against me and my family. However, I was exonerated by the police and was never chargesheeted/indicted. My parents and brother were acquitted.

Impact of False FIR on Career Prospects

Will this false FIR affect my chances in TCS? Does TCS not allow students who have FIRs filed against them but were later exonerated by the police? I have no criminal case pending against me.

No Criminal Offence Certificate

In the No Criminal Offence certificate, what should I mention? I was never arrested/prosecuted/indicted. No cognizance was taken against me in court.

TCS Policy on Exonerated Students

Please tell me about the policy of TCS. Do they allow students who have been cleared of all charges, or do they reject students against whom an FIR is filed, even if it is false? What is the objective of the No Criminal Offence certificate?

I am indeed thankful to all of you for your valuable advice. However, I need to make a confession that the FIR was filed by the wife of my elder brother, and it was a false 498a FIR. I have started another thread to ask if I need to mention this in the No Criminal Offence Certificate for TCS. Sorry, guys, for not mentioning this fact earlier. I was apprehensive about the response I would get. But you guys have been very supportive, so I guess I can share the truth. Besides, I again reiterate it was a false FIR, and I was never indicted in it (exonerated by police, no cognizance taken).

I have another thread—will a false FIR affect my career in this forum? I had mentioned in that thread that the FIR was due to a property dispute, but actually, it was a 498a FIR.

You need not worry at all. If you yourself are saying it is a FALSE FIR, then why should you worry? In case your company comes to know, tell them that it is against the family and not against any individuals. Moreover, it is false. Forget this issue.

Wishing you all the best,

Regards,
Venkat
Bangalore

You do not have to worry about the FIR (as you mentioned it is a false FIR). The SI of Police has confirmed that you are a part or party of the FIR. You may request the Police Inspector to confirm that no FIR is active in the police station, which would be a valid document for you. Verbal commitments by the Police or any other Government Authorities will not have validity.

Regards,
Dr. V. Sundaresan

Even for government service, where a regular police verification is done, a case where only an FIR was filed (whether false or real) and later dropped does not disqualify the candidate for employment. There are several cases like this. You need not worry at all.

For employment in the private sector, these are really secondary issues. What counts there is your competence for the post. If the company, TCS, is asking specifically, in any format provided for this purpose, whether you were ever arrested or whether any FIR was ever filed against you, you can state the facts as they are. If they are not asking anything like this personally, then why should you yourself raise these issues, which really do not matter at all for your employment?

I, therefore, broadly agree with the views expressed by Mr. Arora in his posts above. Do not mention these happenings in your CV. It is not required.

Why Mention Certain Information on a Resume?

Can anyone tell me why it is necessary to mention such a thing on a resume? It is not relevant in the first instance and only gives a potential employer a reason to screen you out of contention for an interview, as they will not know all the facts and will make a superficial judgment. Get the interview first and go and present your credentials. THEN AND ONLY THEN, when it is considered likely that you will be a viable candidate and they want to start the verification and referee checks, do you present this matter.

Surely you have paperwork which states clearly that no charges were laid, etc. So you can present copies of that and clear the air on the spot. That way, you will be judged solely on your merits and skills first and foremost, with nothing else to cloud the interviewer's judgment. Don't make life hard for yourself.

I've decided I won't ponder over this matter anymore. My family and I have already suffered a lot due to this false 498a FIR. I still remember how I was a young boy then and had to fight the corrupt Indian system. Any other person might have succumbed to the trauma, but I had to fight because I couldn't see evil winning. The police did not dare to falsely implicate me, but they did indict my parents and brother falsely. However, the complainant herself confessed in court that she had filed the case due to a minor misunderstanding and that she had stayed in our house for just four days. Eventually, my family was honorably acquitted. I've seen the ugly side of Indian law, and I've decided that if I ever face any problem due to this false FIR, I'll never do any job. Instead, I'll practice law and give justice to innocent people.

I've decided I will not ponder over this matter anymore. My family and I have already suffered a lot due to this false 498a FIR. I still remember how I was a young boy then and had to fight the corrupt Indian system. Any other person might have succumbed to the trauma, but I had to fight because I couldn't see evil winning. The police did not dare to falsely implicate me, but they did indict my parents and brother falsely. However, the complainant herself confessed in court that she had filed the case due to a minor misunderstanding and that she had stayed in our house for just four days. As a result, my family was honorably acquitted. I've seen the ugly side of Indian law, and I've decided that if I ever face any problem due to this false FIR, I'll never do any job; rather, I'll practice law and give justice to innocent people.

Had you given the above information at the outset, I am sure people would have given the same advice as Aussie John, and we would have avoided unnecessary debate on the issue. I take this opportunity to appeal to members that we should give complete background information while seeking help at CiteHR or any other forum. This will help experts to give a considered opinion based on full facts.

I completely agree with you, Sir. I am indeed indebted to the CiteHR team for their valuable advice and support. I also appeal to everyone to present the complete facts without any fear. There should be no apprehension in telling the truth. I admit I was a bit skeptical in the beginning, but now I am relieved after presenting the full facts.

I've decided I will not ponder over this matter anymore. My family and I have already suffered a lot due to this false 498a FIR. I still remember how I was a young boy then and had to fight the corrupt Indian system. Any other person might have succumbed to the trauma, but I had to fight because I couldn't see evil winning. The police did not dare to falsely implicate me, but it did indict my parents and brother falsely. However, the complainant herself confessed in court that she had filed the case due to a minor misunderstanding and that she had stayed in our house for just four days. As a result, my family was honorably acquitted. I've seen the ugly side of Indian law, and I've decided that if I ever face any problem due to this false FIR, I'll never do any job. Instead, I'll practice law and give justice to innocent people.

Sadly, corruption is not confined to India; it is everywhere. What we need are people who are strong and will stand up and fight for what is right. I hope that one day you will find the strength and courage to practice law or whatever is necessary to help your fellow men and women achieve justice and not have to suffer as your family has. Good luck.

Dear All,

There has been a matrimonial dispute going on between me and my wife. My wife has falsely implicated me in cases and lodged an FIR against me and my family under sections 354, 323, 324, 506, and 509. I am an IT engineer working in an IT company. I am concerned whether these FIRs will have a negative impact on my career and if I could lose my job.

Regards,
Neeraj

Impact of False FIR on Employment

Mere lodging of an FIR may not result in losing your job. Many cases that arise due to matrimonial disputes are false, exaggerated, and made out of anger. Even courts have taken a dim view of the misuse of laws intended to protect women. One must take a careful view after consulting with your lawyer about the case filed against you. Keep your management informed about the case.

http://indiatogether.org/supreme-cou...a-arrests-laws

Regards

Handling False FIRs and Career Implications

The sections you mentioned don't include 498A—related to dowry harassment—which is non-bailable. Hence, I don't think you need to worry much, but I suggest consulting a lawyer ASAP.

Unfortunately, private companies don't have a clear roadmap or rules on how to respond to such situations. Every company can respond differently to the same set of sections filed against two employees. The issue here from the employee's perspective wouldn't be about right or wrong. It will be more about the time, money, and effort required to handle such situations.

However, I think you need to consider how you will manage the leaves needed for court appearances, which could be frequent. If you can manage to get permission for not appearing in person, that would be beneficial for you.

Like Nathrao suggested, inform your company, but first, consult your lawyer on how to inform them. There could be many nuances in that act, as how the company responds depends on how you inform them.

All the best.

Regards,
TS

Hello, sir. Against one of my friends, an FIR is filed in an accidental case. He surrendered to the police station and also got bail. Will he be punished or penalized? Will it affect his future career? Can he get a government job? If the opposite party withdraws the case, will he be eligible for a government job and other jobs?