Jaipur: Rajasthan High Court has held that the mere registration of multiple criminal cases against a person cannot justify continued police surveillance or retention of a history sheet unless authorities make a reasoned assessment of the allegations, outcomes, how recent the cases are, and other relevant circumstances.A single-judge bench of Justice Sunil Beniwal directed the Udaipur SP to reconsider the continuance of a history sheet opened against petitioner Naresh Prajapat. Prajapat had 12 criminal cases registered against him between 1996 and 2025, but had suffered only one conviction nearly three decades ago.The petitioner had sought quashing of the history sheet opened against him on the basis of an order passed by the Udaipur SP.“Conviction is not a mandatory prerequisite for opening a history sheet under the Rajasthan Police Rules, 1965. However, the competent authority must have reasonable grounds to believe that the person falls within the categories prescribed under the rules,” the court said.Prajapat’s counsel Deepak Menaria argued that authorities had failed to consider the nature of the cases registered against him and their outcomes.“Mere registration of criminal cases, without examining the allegations and subsequent developments, could not be sufficient to justify opening or continuing a history sheet. In majority of the cases he has been acquitted, a few cases are on trial stage and in one case he was convicted,” Menaria argued.Opposing the petition, govt counsel submitted that 12 cases involving serious offences had been registered against the petitioner between 1996 and 2025.After examining the Rajasthan Police Rules and previous judicial orders, the court observed that the number of cases could not replace a lawful and reasoned exercise of discretion.“Authorities must assess the nature and recency of cases, their outcomes, subsequent criminal involvement and the material considered while ordering surveillance,” the court said.The court remitted the matter to the Udaipur SP for fresh consideration.
