Rajasthan High Court Sets 3–7 Day FIR Report Timeline for Petty-Offence Bail Cases

Faster first hearing of bail applications

The Rajasthan High Court has directed the office of the Government Advocate-cum-Additional Advocate General to seek factual reports from the concerned police station immediately after a bail application is filed. The report should ordinarily be obtained within three to seven days and placed before the Court at the first hearing.

The direction responds to a recurring pattern in which a bail application is first listed after several days, the case diary is then called, and merits are not considered for another 15 to 20 days.

Case diary not mandatory in every petty case

Justice Ravi Chirania held that bail applications involving petty offences may, depending on their facts, be decided from a reliable factual report without awaiting the entire case diary. The Court may still call for the diary whenever the report is insufficient. The Government Advocate’s office must maintain a record of its communications with police stations. The procedure gives practical effect to the priority owed to personal-liberty matters.