Drafting a mandamus writ petition against the crimes on us

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1) Who can be made respondents in a Mandamus writ petition? Primarily: Mandamus lies only against a public authority or government official who has failed to perform a statutory/public duty. So yes, you can make only police officers (govt officials) as respondents. You should NOT add private individuals or the actual accused (non-government actors) as respondents in a Mandamus writ. They are not the subject of the writ; the writ is about forcing the govt authority to act (e.g., to register FIR or proceed with investigation) 2) Can you reproduce your police/private complaint as-is in the Mandamus writ petition? • Short answer: No, not “as-is”. • You can refer to the contents of the police/private complaint, but your writ petition should focus on: • The failure/refusal of the govt officer (like SHO/SP/Collector) to act, • The statutory duty violated (e.g., under CrPC 154 or 156(3)), • And prayer seeking direction to perform that duty (e.g., register FIR/investigate). • Avoid excessive narrative on accused facts—writ is not a trial—it’s about administrative inaction.

Advocate Nedunuri Raghu LawRato