Telangana HC Orders Mandatory Disclosure of Prior Petitions in Criminal Cases

The Telangana High Court in Hyderabad has directed its Registry to ensure that every criminal petition seeking the quashing of an FIR or final report explicitly discloses whether similar petitions were filed earlier. Justice J. Sreenivas Rao issued the directions on August 13, 2026, after discovering an instance where an accused concealed a pending petition to obtain a court order in a case originating from Kalloor Police Station in Khammam District.

The directive aims to prevent litigants from suppressing material facts while seeking judicial relief in criminal matters. According to the court, the issue came to light during proceedings involving an FIR registered at Kalloor Police Station, where the accused had initially approached the High Court seeking to quash the proceedings.

While the initial petition remained pending before the High Court, the accused filed a second criminal petition seeking the same relief. The accused failed to bring the pendency of the earlier case to the court's notice and obtained a disposal of the second petition.

Following the subsequent disclosure of the suppressed facts, the High Court permitted the earlier pending petition to be withdrawn. The court granted liberty to the second accused to avail appropriate remedies available under the law.

Taking note of the incident, Justice Sreenivas Rao instructed the Registrar (Judicial) to issue a circular laying down strict filing requirements. Under the new directions, every petition seeking to quash an FIR or final report must state whether any similar petition was previously filed and specify its outcome.

Additionally, the court ruled that advocates must file a vakalatnama in cases where the petitioner is not in jail. Petitions challenging final reports or interlocutory orders must also state the current status of proceedings before the trial court and enclose the official e-Courts case status report.