HC levies Rs 50,000 fine on litigant over sand quarry lease

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on a litigant for filing a PIL allegedly to blackmail genuine leaseholders for quarrying sand in Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam district.

The amount shall be remitted to the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority within 15 days, the first bench of Chief Justice M N Bhandari and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy said while dismissing a PIL petition from R Silambarasan on August 4.

The petition prayed for a direction to the authorities concerned to consider his representation dated July 4 this year and to stop establishment of sand quarries at Perumkadambanur, Ilamkadambanur and Chirangudipuliyur villages.

''We have considered the submissions and find that the writ petition has been filed alleging illegal quarrying, while the respondents have produced the details of the quarry leases granted in different survey numbers, and thus, it is not a case of illegal quarrying.

''The petitioner was under obligation to ascertain the facts aforesaid before filing the writ petition and he cannot plead ignorance about the quarry leases granted as per law. We further find that the petitioner has a criminal track record which includes a case under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act also,'' the bench noted.

Taking the overall facts of the case, the bench found the petition is not bonafide. It dismissed the writ petition after imposing the fine.

The Registrar (Judicial) shall ensure payment of the cost within 15 days. If the payment is not made within the stipulated time, the writ petition shall be revived for appropriate action, the bench added.