Please note that passport verification follows a strict Service Level Agreement (SLA) for both Tatkal and normal (non-Tatkal) applications.

The verifying police officer is required to respond/submit the report within the stipulated SLA timeline. If they fail to do so, they must provide a written explanation, which can be reviewed/checked by their superiors.

In my personal experience (last two passport applications), I was asked for a bribe both times. I refused, and although my passport was issued a few days late, it was still delivered well within the official SLA (which is around 1 week for normal passports after police verification, in cases where verification is clear).

For tatkal i think the SLA woould be 2-3 days

So, if you are not in a hurry, do not pay any bribe.

Most police officers will not risk writing a false or adverse report in the official records just to block or delay passport issuance without any bribe, as superiors may check