HC imposes Rs 25,000 fine on woman for filing 'frivolous' PIL

Observing that people should not rush to courts to file cases under the garb of public interest, the High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 25000 on a woman for filing a “frivolous” Public Interest Litigation which espouses private interests

Observing that people should not rush to courts to file cases under the garb of public interest, the High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 25000 on a woman for filing a “frivolous” Public Interest Litigation which espouses private interests.

A division bench of justices V M Kanade and M S Sonak dismissed a PIL filed by Ujwala Patil, who claims to be the President of Mumbai Division of Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samiti, challenging a scheme of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority. She alleged that the scheme was approved without the consent of 70 per cent of the slum dwellers.

The bench noted that prima facie it was not a genuine PIL as it was filed soon after several applications of the slum dwellers against the scheme were rejected by the HC.

“People must not rush to courts to file cases in profusion under the attractive name of public interest. Time has come to weed out the petitions, which though titled as public interest litigations are in essence something else,” the court said.

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