Kerala High Court Sets Timelines for Bail Plea Disposal

The Kerala High Court has notified timelines for the disposal of bail applications, directing that regular bail pleas be decided within two weeks and anticipatory bail applications within six weeks.

The move follows directives from the Supreme Court aimed at ensuring the expeditious disposal of bail matters. The apex court had flagged the high volume of pending bail applications across the country and proposed a series of measures to streamline their handling.

As part of the timelines, the High Court has stipulated that in regular bail applications, the time allowed to government authorities to file their response shall not exceed seven working days.

The Supreme Court's suggestions included listing bail matters on a weekly or fortnightly basis through an automatic, software-based system. It also called for status reports to be filed mandatorily before a matter is first heard, and for the Advocate General or the government agencies concerned to be notified in advance.

Mechanisms were also proposed to ensure that fresh bail applications are listed on alternate days, or at least within a week of filing, with mandatory representation from the Union or State government. Matters that cannot be taken up should be re-listed automatically, the apex court suggested, and an outer limit should be fixed for disposal.

The Supreme Court further stressed that High Courts should discourage casual or avoidable adjournments sought by government counsel.