Reporter’s Diary: No of PILs at HC is directly proportional to govt inaction

To curtail the practice of bringing anything and everything to the court without making adequate representation to the authorities, the bench comprising Justice S Manikumar and Justice Subramonimum Prasad have been imposing penalties on such frivolous PILs. The bench has also ensured that the petitioners don’t resort to withdraw such litigation which in the court’s opinion is either to settle personal score or intended for publicity to ensure that such pleas are moved yet again in a different form.

In one such case, the bench had imposed a fine of Rs10,000 on a petitioner after directing him to pay the sum to the account Juvenile Justice Fund. But the petitioner failed to pay the said amount within the stipulated time as fixed by the court and informed the court through a miscellaneous petition that he did not have the money to pay the costs and sought two weeks’ to pay the fine. But the bench while granting more time made it clear that failure to pay the costs in time, would entail action under the Tamil Nadu Revenue Recovery Act, 1864. 

While so, the move of imposing such costs has led to a mixed reaction among such litigants. Many have welcomed such a move as that alone would deter people from approaching the court at the fall of the hat. However, at the same time, it is also felt that the number of PILs at the high court is directly proportional to government inaction and judiciary remains the lone saviour in getting the executive to act on issues concerning public.