Most people write an application only when something has gone wrong: a neighbour’s construction is damaging their wall, money has been taken in an online fraud, or the society will not transfer a flat. The office receiving it handles hundreds of papers. An application that is clear, complete and properly acknowledged is far more likely to be acted on than a long, emotional letter handed over without a receipt.
This guide sets out the parts of every application, three sample formats you can adapt, which office deals with which problem, and what to do if there is no reply.
The parts of every application
- To: the officer’s designation, office and address. For example, the Senior Police Inspector of the police station, or the Assistant Commissioner of the BMC ward.
- From: your full name, address and mobile number.
- Date.
- Subject: one line saying what the application is about.
- Reference: any earlier letter, complaint number or notice, with its date.
- Body: who you are, what happened in date order, and what you want the office to do.
- Enclosures: a numbered list of the copies attached.
- Signature and your name below it.
Write in Marathi or English, in plain sentences. Attach self-attested copies, never originals. Keep one page if you can; put details in the enclosures.
Getting proof that it was received
| How you submit | Your proof |
|---|---|
| By hand at the office | Your second copy stamped with the date and inward (आवक) number |
| By Speed Post or registered post | The postal receipt and the tracking record showing delivery |
| By email or an online portal | The sent email or the acknowledgement or complaint number generated |
Keep all of these with a copy of the application. Every later step depends on being able to show when you applied and to whom.
Sample 1: complaint application to a police station
Use this when an offence has been committed against you. For a cognizable offence, the police must record the information, and the informant is entitled to a free copy of what is recorded. If information is given by email or another electronic means, it is taken on record once the person giving it signs it within three days.
The Senior Police Inspector,
[Name] Police Station, [Area], Mumbai
From: [Your full name], [address], [mobile number]
Date: [date]
Subject: Complaint regarding [cheating / threats / theft / harassment] by [name or description of the person]
Respected Sir/Madam,
1. I, [name], aged [age], residing at [address], submit this complaint.
2. On [date] at about [time], at [place], [what happened, in plain words].
3. [What happened next, in date order. Include amounts, transaction IDs, vehicle numbers or phone numbers.]
4. The following persons saw the incident or know about it: [names and phone numbers].
5. I request you to register my complaint, take action according to law, and give me a copy of the information recorded.
Enclosures: 1. [copy of messages/screenshots] 2. [bank statement] 3. [photographs]
Yours faithfully,
[Signature]
[Name]
If the police do not register a complaint about a cognizable offence, you can send the substance of it to the senior police officer and approach the Magistrate. Both remedies are explained in Police Not Registering Your FIR? For a non-cognizable offence, the police enter the information in their register and refer the informant to the Magistrate; they cannot investigate without the Magistrate’s order.
For online and UPI fraud, call 1930 or report at the national cybercrime portal as early as possible, then submit a written complaint at the police station with the transaction details. See Lost Money to an Online or UPI Fraud?
Sample 2: complaint to the BMC ward office
Use this for problems the municipal corporation deals with, such as unauthorised construction, leakage from a neighbouring structure, blocked drainage or encroachment on a passage.
The Assistant Commissioner,
[Letter] Ward, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, [ward office address]
From: [Your full name], [flat/room number, building, area], [mobile number]
Date: [date]
Subject: Complaint regarding [unauthorised construction / leakage / encroachment] at [exact address or location]
Respected Sir/Madam,
1. I am the [owner/occupant] of [address].
2. Since [date], [describe the problem: what is being built or what is happening, and where].
3. This is causing [damage to my wall / water entering my room / blocked access]. Photographs taken on [dates] are enclosed.
4. [If you complained earlier:] I had informed your office on [date] (inward no. [number]), but no action has been taken.
5. I request you to inspect the site and take action according to law, and inform me of the action taken.
Enclosures: 1. Photographs 2. [copy of earlier complaint] 3. [proof of my residence]
Yours faithfully,
[Signature]
[Name]
Sample 3: letter to the housing society
Use this for requests to the managing committee, such as transfer of a flat after a member’s death, a duplicate share certificate, or a repair the society is responsible for.
The Hon. Secretary,
[Name] Co-operative Housing Society Ltd., [address]
From: [Your full name], Flat No. [number], [mobile number]
Date: [date]
Subject: Request for [transfer of flat / issue of share certificate / repair of leakage] – Flat No. [number]
Respected Sir/Madam,
1. [State your connection to the flat: member, nominee, legal heir.]
2. [State the request and the facts, with dates.]
3. The required documents are enclosed.
4. I request the managing committee to consider this request at its next meeting and inform me of the decision in writing.
Enclosures: [list]
Yours faithfully,
[Signature]
[Name]
For the documents a society may ask for and what to do if it refuses, see transfer of a society flat after a member’s death and the housing society guide.
Which office deals with which problem
| Problem | Where to apply |
|---|---|
| Theft, cheating, threats, assault, harassment | The police station for the area |
| Online or UPI fraud | Helpline 1930 or the national cybercrime portal, then the police station |
| Unauthorised construction, leakage, drainage, encroachment | The BMC ward office |
| Transfer, share certificate, repairs in a housing society | The society’s managing committee |
| Defective product or deficient service | The Consumer Commission (guide) |
| Copies of government records, or the status of an earlier application | An RTI application to that office (guide) |
| Elderly parent not being maintained | The Maintenance Tribunal under the Senior Citizens Act (guide) |
| Drug licence suspended by FDA | Appeal to the State Government at Mantralaya (guide) |
If there is no reply
- Send a reminder quoting the date and inward number of your first application, and get it stamped too.
- File an RTI application asking for the action taken on your application and copies of the file notings. Under the Maharashtra RTI Rules, 2026 each application should be about one subject.
- Write to the senior officer: for the police, the senior police officer of the zone; for a ward office, the officer above the Assistant Commissioner.
- Consider the legal remedy the problem calls for, such as the Magistrate for a police complaint or the Consumer Commission for a consumer dispute.
Mistakes to avoid
- Addressing the wrong office, or a person by name instead of by designation
- Long, emotional letters that bury the facts
- Allegations you cannot support, or abusive language
- Leaving out dates, amounts, addresses or the names of witnesses
- Handing over the application without getting a stamped copy
- Attaching original documents
- Forgetting to sign and date it
Common questions
Do I need a lawyer to write an application?
No. Anyone can write and submit an application. Help with drafting is useful when the matter may go to court later, when the facts are complicated, or when an earlier application has been ignored. See application and letter drafting.
Can I send it by email?
Many offices accept email, and the police can take information given electronically on record once it is signed within three days. Keep the sent email, and where possible also submit a signed copy and get it stamped.
What is an inward number?
It is the number an office gives each paper it receives, stamped with the date on your copy. It proves the office received your application and helps you trace it later.
Should I write in Marathi or English?
Either is fine. Use the language you can explain the facts in most clearly.
Sources
- Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, Sections 173 and 174 (comparison table, Bureau of Police Research and Development)
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, Ministry of Home Affairs
This guide is general information. The sample formats must be adapted to the facts of each case.