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I. Introduction The Supreme Court of India recently delivered strong observations while quashing an FIR registered by the Rajasthan Police against Ashish Dave, former regional head of Zee Rajasthan. The Court criticised the state police for acting like “James Bond” and adopting a “shoot first, ask questions later” approach. The bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta termed the FIR “as bogus an FIR as it can get” and held that allowing such a complaint to survive would send a disturbing message about unequal access to justice. The ruling revisits fundamental questions about the legality of FIR registration, the limits of criminal law, and judicial safeguards against abuse of process. II. Factual Background In September 2023, an FIR was registered at Ashok Nagar Police Station, Jaipur, based on a complaint filed by Zee Media Corporation Limited through its representative Sanju Raju. The complaint alleged that Ashish Dave misused his position as regional head to: Demand money fro...

Introduction In a significant ruling reinforcing the balance between judicial oversight and investigative autonomy , the Supreme Court of India has held that fixing timelines for completion of criminal investigations must remain an exception and not the norm . The judgment cautions High Courts against routinely prescribing time-bound probes under Article 226 of the Constitution , emphasising that investigations are inherently complex and unpredictable. The ruling came while setting aside an Allahabad High Court order that directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to complete an investigation into an alleged arms licence forgery within three months and granted the accused protection from arrest. Background of the Case The case arose from allegations that three accused had obtained arms licences using forged documents . The police initiated the investigation in May 2024 . In June–July 2024 , the Allahabad High Court: Directed the police to complete the investigation within 90 days Granted the a...