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SP8LLPA8l P (18v10l1033)

8PA8CAv Mk (18v10l1011)

3
8u
SLM l1



CCn1Ln1S
1hls asslgnmenL deals
wlLh ub||c Interest
L|t|gat|on and lLs
ueflnlLlon
Crlgln
LvoluLlon
lrsL phase
Second phase
1hlrd phase
Abuse





u8LlC ln1L8LS1
Ll1lCA1lCn

1he Supreme CourL ln SLaLe of uLLaranchal v
8alwanL Slngh Chaufal oLhers has examlned
lndepLh Lhe ueflnlLlon Crlgln LvoluLlon and
Abuse of ubllc lnLeresL LlLlgaLlon 1he CourL
has examlned Lhe concepL of ubllc lnLeresL
LlLlgaLlon as prevalenL ln oLher counLrles
Jhlle laylng down guldellnes for lLs Lhe
Supreme CourL held as under


uLlnl1lCnS
ubllc lnLeresL LlLlgaLlon has been deflned ln
Lhe 8lacks Law ulcLlonary (6Lh LdlLlon) as
under

ubllc lnLeresL SomeLhlng ln whlch Lhe
publlc Lhe communlLy aL large has some
pecunlary lnLeresL or some lnLeresL by whlch
Lhelr legal rlghLs or llablllLles are affecLed lL
does noL mean anyLhlng so narrow as mere
curloslLy or as Lhe lnLeresLs of Lhe parLlcular
locallLles whlch may be affecLed by Lhe
maLLers ln quesLlon

lnLeresL shared by clLlzens generally ln affalrs
of local sLaLe or naLlonal governmenL

Advanced Law Lexlcon has deflned `ubllc
lnLeresL LlLlgaLlon as under

1he expresslon `lL means a legal
acLlon lnlLlaLed ln a CourL of law for Lhe
enforcemenL of publlc lnLeresL or general
lnLeresL ln whlch Lhe publlc or a class of Lhe
communlLy has pecunlary lnLeresL or some
lnLeresL by whlch Lhelr legal rlghLs or llablllLles
are affecLed

1he Councll for ubllc lnLeresL Law seL up by
Lhe ord oundaLlon ln uSA deflned publlc
lnLeresL llLlgaLlon ln lLs reporL of ubllc
lnLeresL Law uSA 1976 as follows ubllc
lnLeresL Law ls Lhe name LhaL has recenLly
been glven Lo efforLs provlde legal
represenLaLlon Lo prevlously unrepresenLed
groups and lnLeresLs Such efforLs have been
underLaken ln Lhe recognlLlon LhaL ordlnary
markeL place for legal servlces falls Lo provlde
such servlces Lo slgnlflcanL segmenLs of Lhe
populaLlon and Lo slgnlflcanL lnLeresLs Such
groups and lnLeresLs lnclude Lhe proper
envlronmenLallsLs consumers raclal and
eLhnlc mlnorlLles and oLhers (M/s Pollcow
lcLures vL LLd v rem Chandra Mlshra
Crs Al8 2008 SC 913 para 19)

1hls courL ln eoples unlon for uemocraLlc
8lghLs CLhers v unlon of lndla CLhers
(1982) 3 SCC 233 deflned `ubllc lnLeresL
LlLlgaLlon and observed LhaL Lhe ubllc
lnLeresL llLlgaLlon ls a cooperaLlve or
collaboraLlve efforL by Lhe peLlLloner Lhe
SLaLe of publlc auLhorlLy and Lhe [udlclary Lo
secure observance of consLlLuLlonal or baslc
human rlghLs beneflLs and prlvlleges upon
poor downLrodden and vulnerable secLlons
of Lhe socleLy

C8lCln

1he publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon ls Lhe producL of
reallzaLlon of Lhe consLlLuLlonal obllgaLlon of
Lhe courL

All Lhese peLlLlons are flled under Lhe blg
banner of Lhe publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon ln Lhls
vlew of Lhe maLLer lL has become lmperaLlve
Lo examlne whaL are Lhe conLours of Lhe
publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon? JhaL ls Lhe uLlllLy
and lmporLance of Lhe publlc lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon? JheLher slmllar [urlsdlcLlon exlsLs
ln oLher counLrles or Lhls ls an lndlgenously
developed [urlsprudence? Looklng Lo Lhe
speclal condlLlons prevalenL ln our counLry
wheLher Lhe publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon should
be encouraged or dlscouraged by Lhe courLs?
1hese are some of Lhe quesLlons whlch we
would endeavour Lo answer ln Lhls [udgmenL

Accordlng Lo our oplnlon Lhe publlc lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon ls an exLremely lmporLanL
[urlsdlcLlon exerclsed by Lhe Supreme CourL
and Lhe Plgh CourLs 1he CourLs ln a number
of cases have glven lmporLanL dlrecLlons and
passed orders whlch have broughL poslLlve
changes ln Lhe counLry 1he CourLs dlrecLlons
have lmmensely beneflLed marglnallzed
secLlons of Lhe socleLy ln a number of cases lL
has also helped ln proLecLlon and
preservaLlon of ecology envlronmenL
foresLs marlne llfe wlldllfe eLc eLc 1he
courLs dlrecLlons Lo some exLenL have helped
ln malnLalnlng problLy and Lransparency ln
Lhe publlc llfe

1hls courL whlle exerclslng lLs [urlsdlcLlon of
[udlclal revlew reallzed LhaL a very large
secLlon of Lhe socleLy because of exLreme
poverLy lgnorance dlscrlmlnaLlon and
llllLeracy had been denled [usLlce for Llme
lmmemorlal and ln facL Lhey have no access
Lo [usLlce redomlnanLly Lo provlde access
Lo [usLlce Lo Lhe poor deprlved vulnerable
dlscrlmlnaLed and marglnallzed secLlons of
Lhe socleLy Lhls courL has lnlLlaLed
encouraged and propelled Lhe publlc lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon 1he llLlgaLlon ls upshoL and producL
of Lhls courLs deep and lnLense urge Lo fulflll
lLs bounded duLy and consLlLuLlonal
obllgaLlon

1he Plgh CourLs followed Lhls CourL and
exerclsed slmllar [urlsdlcLlon under arLlcle 226
of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon 1he courLs expanded Lhe
meanlng of rlghL Lo llfe and llberLy
guaranLeed under arLlcle 21 of Lhe
ConsLlLuLlon 1he rule of locus sLandl was
dlluLed and Lhe LradlLlonal meanlng of
`aggrleved person was broadened Lo provlde
access Lo [usLlce Lo a very large secLlon of Lhe
socleLy whlch was oLherwlse noL geLLlng any
beneflL from Lhe [udlclal sysLem Je would
llke Lo Lerm Lhls as Lhe flrsL phase or Lhe
golden era of Lhe publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon Je
would brlefly deal wlLh lmporLanL cases
declded by Lhls CourL ln Lhe flrsL phase afLer
broadenlng Lhe deflnlLlon of `aggrleved
person Je would also deal wlLh cases how
Lhls CourL prevenLed any abuse of Lhe publlc
lnLeresL llLlgaLlon?

1hls CourL ln
Akhll8haraLlyaSoshlLkaramcharlSangh
(8allway) v unlon of lndla amp CLhers Al8
1981 SC 298 aL page 317 held LhaL our
currenL processual [urlsprudence ls noL of
lndlvlduallsLlc Anglolndlan mould lL ls broad
based and peopleorlenLed and envlslons
access Lo [usLlce Lhrough `class acLlons
`publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon and `represenLaLlve
proceedlngs lndeed llLLle lndlans ln large
numbers seeklng remedles ln courLs Lhrough
collecLlve proceedlngs lnsLead of belng
drlven Lo an expenslve plurallLy of llLlgaLlons
ls an afflrmaLlon of parLlclpaLlve [usLlce ln our
democracy Je have no heslLaLlon ln holdlng
LhaL Lhe narrow concepLs of `cause of acLlon
`person aggrleved and lndlvldual llLlgaLlon
are becomlng obsolescenL ln some
[urlsdlcLlons

ln 8andhuaMukLlMorcha v unlon of lndla
amp CLhers Al8 1984 SC 802 Lhls courL
enLerLalned a peLlLlon even of unreglsLered
AssoclaLlon espouslng Lhe cause of over
down Lrodden or lLs members observlng LhaL
Lhe cause of llLLle lndlans can be espoused
by any person havlng no lnLeresL ln Lhe
maLLer

ln Lhe sald case Lhls courL furLher held LhaL
where a publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon alleglng LhaL
cerLaln workmen are llvlng ln bondage and
under lnhuman condlLlons ls lnlLlaLed lL ls noL
expecLed of Lhe CovernmenL LhaL lL should
ralse prellmlnary ob[ecLlon LhaL no
fundamenLal rlghLs of Lhe peLlLloners or Lhe
workmen on whose behalf Lhe peLlLlon has
been flled have been lnfrlnged Cn Lhe
conLrary Lhe CovernmenL should welcome an
lnqulry by Lhe CourL so LhaL lf lL ls found LhaL
Lhere are ln facL bonded labourers or even lf
Lhe workers are noL bonded ln Lhe sLrlcL sense
of Lhe Lerm as deflned ln Lhe 8onded Labour
SysLem (AbollLlon) AcL 1976 buL Lhey are
made Lo provlde forced labour or any
conslgned Lo a llfe of uLLer deprlvaLlon and
degradaLlon such a slLuaLlon can be seL rlghL
by Lhe CovernmenL

ubllc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon ls noL ln Lhe naLure of
adversary llLlgaLlon buL lL ls a challenge and
an opporLunlLy Lo Lhe governmenL and lLs
offlcers Lo make baslc human rlghLs
meanlngful Lo Lhe deprlved and vulnerable
secLlons of Lhe communlLy and Lo assure
Lhem soclal and economlc [usLlce whlch ls Lhe
slgnaLure Lune of our ConsLlLuLlon 1he
CovernmenL and lLs offlcers musL welcome
publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon because lL would
provlde Lhem an occaslon Lo examlne
wheLher Lhe poor and Lhe downLrodden are
geLLlng Lhelr soclal and economlc
enLlLlemenLs or wheLher Lhey are conLlnulng
Lo remaln vlcLlms of decepLlon and
explolLaLlon aL Lhe hands of sLrong and
powerful secLlons of Lhe communlLy and
wheLher soclal and economlc [usLlce has
become a meanlngful reallLy for Lhem or lL
has remalned merely a Leaslng llluslon and a
promlse of unreallLy so LhaL ln case Lhe
complalnL ln Lhe publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon ls
found Lo be Lrue Lhey can ln dlscharge of
Lhelr consLlLuLlonal obllgaLlon rooL ouL
explolLaLlon and ln[usLlce and ensure Lo Lhe
weaker secLlons Lhelr rlghLs and enLlLlemenLs

ln erLlllzer CorporaLlon kamagar unlon
(8egd Slndrl CLhers v unlon of lndla
CLhers Al8 1981 SC 844 Lhls courL observed
LhaL publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon ls parL of Lhe
process of parLlclpaLlve [usLlce and `sLandlng
ln clvll llLlgaLlon of LhaL paLLern musL have
llberal recepLlon aL Lhe [udlclal doorsLeps

ln 8amsharanAuLyanuprasl AnoLher v
unlon of lndla CLhers Al8 1989 SC 349 Lhls
courL observed LhaL Lhe publlc lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon ls for maklng baslc human rlghLs
meanlngful Lo Lhe deprlved and vulnerable
secLlons of Lhe communlLy and Lo assure
Lhem soclal economlc and pollLlcal [usLlce

LvCLu1lCn ln lnulA

1he orlgln and evoluLlon of ubllc lnLeresL
LlLlgaLlon ln lndla emanaLed from reallzaLlon
of consLlLuLlonal obllgaLlon by Lhe !udlclary
Lowards Lhe vasL secLlons of Lhe socleLy Lhe
poor and Lhe marglnallzed secLlons of Lhe
socleLy 1hls [urlsdlcLlon has been creaLed and
carved ouL by Lhe [udlclal creaLlvlLy and
crafLsmanshlp ln M C MehLa AnoLher v
unlon of lndla CLhers Al8 1987 SC 1086
Lhls CourL observed LhaL ArLlcle 32 does noL
merely confer power on Lhls CourL Lo lssue
dlrecLlon order or wrlL for Lhe enforcemenL
of fundamenLal rlghLs lnsLead lL also lays a
consLlLuLlonal obllgaLlon on Lhls CourL Lo
proLecL Lhe fundamenLal rlghLs of Lhe people
1he courL asserLed LhaL ln reallzaLlon of Lhls
consLlLuLlonal obllgaLlon lL has all lncldenLal
and anclllary powers lncludlng Lhe power Lo
forge new remedles and fashlon new
sLraLegles deslgned Lo enforce Lhe
fundamenLal rlghLs 1he CourL reallzed LhaL
because of exLreme poverLy a large number
of secLlons of socleLy cannoL approach Lhe
courL 1he fundamenLal rlghLs have no
meanlng for Lhem and ln order Lo preserve
and proLecL Lhe fundamenLal rlghLs of Lhe
marglnallzed secLlon of socleLy by [udlclal
lnnovaLlon Lhe courLs by [udlclal lnnovaLlon
and creaLlvlLy sLarLed glvlng necessary
dlrecLlons and passlng orders ln Lhe publlc
lnLeresL

1he developmenL of publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon
has been exLremely slgnlflcanL developmenL
ln Lhe hlsLory of Lhe lndlan [urlsprudence 1he
declslons of Lhe Supreme CourL ln Lhe 1970s
loosened Lhe sLrlcL locus sLandl requlremenLs
Lo permlL flllng of peLlLlons on behalf of
marglnallzed and deprlved secLlons of Lhe
socleLy by publlc splrlLed lndlvlduals
lnsLlLuLlons and/or bodles 1he hlgher CourLs
exerclsed wlde powers glven Lo Lhem under
ArLlcles 32 and 226 of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon 1he
sorL of remedles soughL from Lhe courLs ln
Lhe publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon goes beyond
award of remedles Lo Lhe affecLed lndlvlduals
and groups ln sulLable cases Lhe courLs have
also glven guldellnes and dlrecLlons 1he
courLs have monlLored lmplemenLaLlon of
leglslaLlon and even formulaLed guldellnes ln
absence of leglslaLlon lf Lhe cases of Lhe
decades of 70s and 80s are analyzed mosL of
Lhe publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon cases whlch were
enLerLalned by Lhe courLs are perLalnlng Lo
enforcemenL of fundamenLal rlghLs of
marglnallzed and deprlved secLlons of Lhe
socleLy 1hls can be Lermed as Lhe flrsL phase
of Lhe publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon ln lndla

1he lndlan Supreme CourL broadened Lhe
LradlLlonal rule of sLandlng and Lhe deflnlLlon
of person aggrleved

ln Lhls [udgmenL we would llke Lo deal wlLh
Lhe orlgln and developmenL of publlc lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon Je deem lL approprlaLe Lo broadly
dlvlde Lhe publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon ln Lhree
phases

hasel lL deals wlLh cases of Lhls
CourL where dlrecLlons and orders were
passed prlmarlly Lo proLecL fundamenLal
rlghLs under ArLlcle 21 of Lhe marglnallzed
groups and secLlons of Lhe socleLy who
because of exLreme poverLy llllLeracy and
lgnorance cannoL approach Lhls courL or Lhe
Plgh CourLs

hasell lL deals wlLh Lhe cases relaLlng
Lo proLecLlon preservaLlon of
ecology envlronmenL foresLs marlne llfe
wlldllfe mounLalns rlvers hlsLorlcal
monumenLs eLc eLc

haselll lL deals wlLh Lhe dlrecLlons lssued by
Lhe CourLs ln malnLalnlng Lhe
problLy Lransparency and lnLegrlLy ln
governance

1hereafLer we also propose Lo deal wlLh Lhe
aspecLs of abuse of Lhe ubllc lnLeresL
LlLlgaLlon and remedlal measures by whlch lLs
mlsuse can be prevenLed or curbed

SCML lMC81An1 CASLS C PASL1

1he courL whlle lnLerpreLlng Lhe words
person aggrleved ln !asbhalMoLlbhal uesal
v 8oshan kumar Pa[l 8ashlr Ahmed CLhers
(1976) 1 SCC 671 observed LhaL Lhe
LradlLlonal rule ls flexlble enough Lo Lake ln
Lhose cases where Lhe appllcanL has been
pre[udlclally affecLed by an acL or omlsslon of
an auLhorlLy even Lhough he has no
proprleLary or even a flduclary lnLeresL ln Lhe
sub[ecLmaLLer 1haL aparL ln excepLlonal
cases even a sLranger or a person who was
noL a parLy Lo Lhe proceedlngs before Lhe
auLhorlLy buL has a subsLanLlal and genulne
lnLeresL ln Lhe sub[ecLmaLLer of Lhe
proceedlngs wlll be covered by Lhls rule

1he rule of locus sLandl was relaxed ln 8ar
Councll of MaharashLra v M v
uabholkaramp CLhers 1976 SC8 306 1he
courL observed as under

1radlLlonally used Lo Lhe adversary sysLem
we search for lndlvldual persons aggrleved
8uL a new class of llLlgaLlon publlc lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon where a secLlon or whole of Lhe
communlLy ls lnvolved (such as consumers
organlsaLlons or nAACnaLlonal AssoclaLlon
for AdvancemenL of Coloured eopleln
Amerlca) emerges ln a developlng counLry
llke ours Lhls paLLern of publlc orlenLed
llLlgaLlon beLLer fulflls Lhe rule of law lf lL ls Lo
run close Lo Lhe rule of llfe xxxxxxxxx

1he posslble apprehenslon LhaL wldenlng
legal sLandlng wlLh a publlc connoLaLlon may
unloose a flood of llLlgaLlon whlch may
overwhelm Lhe [udges ls mlsplaced because
publlc resorL Lo courL Lo suppress publlc
mlschlef ls a LrlbuLe Lo Lhe [usLlce sysLem

1he courL ln Lhls case observed LhaL
procedural prescrlpLlons are handmalds noL
mlsLresses of [usLlce and fallure of falr play ls
Lhe splrlL ln whlch CourLs musL vlew
processlon devlances

ln 1he Mumbal kamgarSabha 8ombay v
Abdulbhalalzullabhal CLhers Al8 1976 SC
1433 Lhls CourL made consclous efforLs Lo
lmprove Lhe [udlclal access for Lhe masses by
relaxlng Lhe LradlLlonal rule of locus sLandl

ln Sunll 8aLra v uelhl AdmlnlsLraLlon amp
CLhersAl8 1978 SC 1673 Lhe CourL deparLed
from Lhe LradlLlonal rule of sLandlng by
auLhorlzlng communlLy llLlgaLlon 1he CourL
enLerLalned a wrlL peLlLlon from a prlsoner a
dlslnLeresLed parLy ob[ecLlng Lo Lhe LorLure
of a fellow prlsoner 1he CourL enLerLalned
Lhe wrlL afLer reasonlng LhaL Lhese marLyr
llLlgaLlons possess a beneflcenL poLency
beyond Lhe lndlvldual llLlganL and Lhelr
conslderaLlon on Lhe wlder represenLaLlve
basls sLrengLhens Lhe rule of law
SlgnlflcanLly clLlng peoples vlcarlous
lnvolvemenL ln our [usLlce sysLem wlLh a
broadbased concepL of locus sLandl so
necessary ln a democracy where Lhe masses
are ln many senses weak Lhe CourL
permlLLed a human rlghLs organlzaLlon Lo
lnLervene ln Lhe case on behalf of Lhe vlcLlm

ln PussalnarakhaLoon CLhers v Pome
SecreLary SLaLe of 8lhar aLna Al8 1979 SC
1369 n 8hagwaLl ! has observed LhaL
Loday unforLunaLely ln our counLry Lhe poor
are prlced ouL of Lhe [udlclal sysLem wlLh Lhe
resulL LhaL Lhey are loslng falLh ln Lhe capaclLy
of our legal sysLem Lo (slc) abouL changes ln
Lhelr llfe condlLlons and Lo dellver [usLlce Lo
Lhem 1he poor ln Lhelr conLacL wlLh Lhe legal
sysLem have always been on Lhe wrong slde
of Lhe llne 1hey have always come across
law for Lhe poor raLher Lhan law of Lhe
poor 1he law ls regarded by Lhem as
someLhlng mysLerlous and forblddlngalways
Laklng someLhlng away from Lhem and noL as
a poslLlve and consLrucLlve soclal devlce for
changlng Lhe soclal economlc order and
lmprovlng Lhelr llfe condlLlons by conferrlng
rlghLs and beneflLs on Lhem 1he resulL ls LhaL
Lhe legal sysLem has losL lLs credlblllLy for Lhe
weaker secLlon of Lhe communlLy

!usLlce 8hagwaLl of Lhls courL ln hls [udgmenL
ln S CupLa v resldenL of lndla amp
CLhers Al8 1982 SC 149 alLogeLher dlsmlssed
Lhe LradlLlonal rule of sLandlng and replaced
lL wlLh a llberallzed modern rule ln Lhls case
Lhe CourL awarded sLandlng Lo advocaLes
challenglng Lhe Lransfer of [udges durlng
Lmergency uescrlblng Lhe LradlLlonal rule as
an anclenL vlnLage of an era when prlvaLe
law domlnaLed Lhe legal scene and publlc law
had noL been born Lhe CourL concluded LhaL
Lhe LradlLlonal rule of sLandlng was obsoleLe
ln lLs place Lhe CourL prescrlbed Lhe modern
rule on sLandlng

where a legal wrong or a legal ln[ury ls
caused Lo a person or Lo a deLermlnaLe class
of persons by reason of vlolaLlon of any
consLlLuLlonal or legal rlghL or any burden ls
lmposed ln conLravenLlon of any
consLlLuLlonal or legal provlslon or wlLhouL
auLhorlLy of law or any such legal wrong or
legal ln[ury or lllegal burden ls LhreaLened and
such person or deLermlnaLe class of persons ls
by reason of poverLy helplessness or
dlsablllLy or soclally or economlcally
dlsadvanLaged poslLlon unable Lo approach
Lhe CourL for rellef any member of Lhe publlc
can malnLaln an appllcaLlon for an
approprlaLe dlrecLlon order or wrlL ln Lhe
Plgh CourL under ArLlcle 226 and ln case of
breach of anyfundamenLal rlghL ln Lhls CourL
under ArLlcle 32

lndlng LhaL Lhe pracLlclng advocaLes are
vlLally lnLeresLed ln Lhe malnLenance of a
fearless and an lndependenL !udlclary Lhe
CourL granLed sLandlng Lo Lhe advocaLes
under Lhe modern rule Lo brlng cases
challenglng Lhe Lransfer of [udges durlng
Lmergency ln Lhls case Lhls CourL furLher
observed as under

lL musL now be regarded as well seLLled
law where a person who has suffered a legal
wrong or a legal ln[ury or whose legal rlghL or
legally proLecLed lnLeresL ls vlolaLed ls unable
Lo approach Lhe CourL on accounL of some
dlsablllLy or lL ls noL pracLlcable for hlm Lo
move Lhe CourL for some oLher sufflclenL
reasons such as hls soclally or economlcally
dlsadvanLaged poslLlon some oLher person
can lnvoke asslsLance of Lhe CourL for Lhe
purpose of provldlng [udlclal redress Lo Lhe
person wronged or ln[ured so LhaL Lhe legal
wrong or ln[ury caused Lo such person does
noL go unredressed and [usLlce ls done
Lo hlm

1oday a vasL revoluLlon ls Laklng place ln
Lhe [udlclal process Lhe LheaLre of Lhe law ls
fasL changlng and Lhe problems of Lhe poor
are comlng Lo Lhe forefronL 1he CourL has Lo
lnnovaLe new meLhods and devlse new
sLraLegles for Lhe purpose of provldlng access
Lo [usLlce Lo large masses of people who are
denled Lhelr baslc human rlghLs and Lo whom
freedom and llberLy have no meanlng 1he
only way ln whlch Lhls can be done ls
by enLerLalnlng wrlL peLlLlons and even leLLers
from publlc splrlLed lndlvlduals seeklng
[udlclal redress for Lhe beneflL of persons who
have suffered a legal wrong or a legal ln[ury
or whose consLlLuLlonal or legal rlghL has
been vlolaLed buL who by reason of Lhelr
poverLy or soclally or economlcally
dlsadvanLaged poslLlon are unable Lo
approach Lhe CourL for rellef lL ls ln Lhls splrlL
LhaL Lhe CourL has been enLerLalnlng leLLers
for !udlclal redress and LreaLlng Lhem as wrlL
peLlLlons and we hope and LrusL LhaL Lhe Plgh
CourLs of Lhe counLry wlll also adopL Lhls pro
acLlve goalorlenLed approach

ln M C MehLa v SLaLe of 1amll nadu amp
CLhers (1996) 6 SCC 736 Lhe CourL was
deallng wlLh Lhe cases of chlld labour and Lhe
CourL found LhaL Lhe chlld labour emanaLes
from exLreme poverLy lack of opporLunlLy for
galnful employmenL and lnLermlLLency of
lncome and low sLandards of llvlng 1he CourL
observed LhaL lL ls posslble Lo ldenLlfy chlld
labour ln Lhe organlzed secLor whlch forms a
mlnuscule of Lhe LoLal chlld labour Lhe
problem relaLes malnly Lo Lhe unorganlzed
secLor where uLmosL aLLenLlon needs Lo be
pald

ln u k 8asu v SLaLe of JesL 8engal (1997) 1
SCC 416 Lhls CourL observed LhaL Lhe
cusLodlal deaLh ls perhaps one of Lhe worsL
crlmes ln a clvlllzed socleLy governed by Lhe
rule of law 1he rlghLs lnherenL ln ArLlcles 21
and 22(1) of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon requlre Lo be
[ealously and scrupulously proLecLed 1he
expresslon llfe or personal llberLy ln ArLlcle
21 lncludes Lhe rlghL Lo llve wlLh human
dlgnlLy and Lhus lL would also lnclude wlLhln
lLself a guaranLee agalnsL LorLure and assaulL
by Lhe SLaLe or lLs funcLlonarles 1he preclous
rlghL guaranLeed by ArLlcle 21 cannoL be
denled Lo convlcLs underLrlals deLenus and
oLher prlsoners ln cusLody excepL accordlng
Lo Lhe procedure esLabllshed by law by
placlng such reasonable resLrlcLlons as are
permlLLed by law 1he CourL gave very
slgnlflcanL dlrecLlons whlch are mandaLory for
all concerned Lo follow

ln a recenLly declded case ra[wala v unlon
of lndla amp CLhers (2009) 4 SCC 798 a
peLlLlon was flled ln Lhls CourL ln whlch lL was
reallzed LhaL desplLe commencemenL of Lhe
ersons wlLh ulsablllLles (Lqual CpporLunlLles
roLecLlon of 8lghLs and ull arLlclpaLlon)
AcL 1993 dlsabled people are noL glven
preferenLlal LreaLmenL 1he CourL dlrecLed
Lhe SLaLe CovernmenLs/local auLhorlLles Lo
alloL land for varlous purposes lndlcLed ln
secLlon 43 of Lhe AcL and varlous lLems
lndlcaLed ln secLlon 43 preferenLlal
LreaLmenL be glven Lo Lhe dlsabled people
and Lhe land shall be glven aL concesslonal
raLes 1he percenLage of reservaLlon may be
lefL Lo Lhe dlscreLlon of Lhe SLaLe
CovernmenLs Powever LoLal percenLage of
dlsabled persons shall be Laken lnLo accounL
whlle decldlng Lhe percenLage

ln AvlnashMehroLra v unlon of lndla amp
CLhers (2009) 6 SCC 398 a publlc lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon was flled when 93 chlldren were
burnL allve ln a flre aL a prlvaLe school ln 1amll
nadu 1hls happened because Lhe school dld
noL have Lhe mlnlmum safeLy sLandard
measures 1he courL ln order Lo proLecL
fuLure Lragedles ln all such schools gave
dlrecLlons LhaL lL ls Lhe fundamenLal rlghL of
each and every chlld Lo recelve educaLlon free
from fear of securlLy and safeLy hence Lhe
CovernmenL should lmplemenL naLlonal
8ulldlng Code and comply wlLh Lhe sald
orders ln consLrucLlons of schools for
chlldren

All Lhese abovemenLloned cases demonsLraLe
LhaL Lhe courLs ln order Lo proLecL and
preserve Lhe fundamenLal rlghLs of clLlzens
whlle relaxlng Lhe rule of locus sLandl passed
a number of dlrecLlons Lo Lhe concerned
auLhorlLles

Je would noL llke Lo overburden Lhe
[udgmenL by mulLlplylng Lhese cases buL brlef
resume of Lhese cases demonsLraLe LhaL ln
order Lo preserve and proLecL Lhe
fundamenLal rlghLs of marglnallzed deprlved
and poor secLlons of Lhe socleLy Lhe courLs
relaxed Lhe LradlLlonal rule of locus sLandl and
broadened Lhe deflnlLlon of aggrleved
persons and gave dlrecLlons and orders Je
would llke Lo Lerm cases of Lhls perlod where
Lhe courL relaxed Lhe rule of locus sLandl as
Lhe flrsL phase of Lhe publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon
1he Supreme CourL and Lhe Plgh CourLs
earned greaL respecL and acqulred greaL
credlblllLy ln Lhe eyes of publlc because of
Lhelr lnnovaLlve efforLs Lo proLecL and
preserve Lhe fundamenLal rlghLs of people
belonglng Lo Lhe poor and marglnallzed
secLlons of Lhe socleLy

PASLll ul8LC1lCnS 1C 8LSL8vL Anu
8C1LC1 LCCLCC? Anu Lnvl8CnMLn1

1he second phase of publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon
sLarLed someLlme ln Lhe 1980s and lL relaLed
Lo Lhe courLs lnnovaLlon and creaLlvlLy
where dlrecLlons were glven Lo proLecL
ecology and envlronmenL

1here are a number of cases where Lhe courL
Lrled Lo proLecL foresL cover ecology and
envlronmenL and orders have been passed ln
LhaL respecL As a maLLer of facL Lhe Supreme
CourL has a regular oresL 8ench (Creen
8ench) and regularly passes orders and
dlrecLlons regardlng varlous foresL cover
lllegal mlnlng desLrucLlon of marlne llfe and
wlld llfe eLc 8eference of some cases ls glven
[usL for lllusLraLlon

ln Lhe second phase Lhe Supreme CourL
under ArLlcle 32 and Lhe Plgh CourL under
ArLlcle 226 of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon passed a
number of orders and dlrecLlons ln Lhls
respecL

Cne of Lhe earllesL cases broughL before Lhe
Supreme CourL relaLed Lo oleum gas leakage
ln uelhl ln order Lo prevenL Lhe damage
belng done Lo envlronmenL and Lhe llfe and
Lhe healLh of Lhe people Lhe courL passed
number of orders 1hls ls wellknown as MC
MehLa AnoLher v unlon of lndla CLhers
Al8 1987 SC 1086 1he courL ln Lhls case has
clearly lald down LhaL an enLerprlse whlch ls
engaged ln a hazardous or lnherenLly
dangerous lndusLry whlch poses a poLenLlal
LhreaL Lo Lhe healLh and safeLy of Lhe persons
worklng ln Lhe facLory and resldlng ln Lhe
surroundlng area owes an absoluLe and non
delegable duLy Lo Lhe communlLy Lo ensure
LhaL no such harm resulLs Lo anyone on
accounL of hazardous or lnherenLly dangerous
naLure of Lhe acLlvlLy whlch lL has underLaken
1he courL dlrecLed LhaL Lhe enLerprlse musL
adopL hlghesL sLandards of safeLy and lf any
harm resulLs on accounL of such acLlvlLy Lhe
enLerprlse musL be absoluLely llable Lo
compensaLe for such harm and lL should be
no answer Lo Lhe enLerprlse Lo say LhaL lL had
Laken all reasonable care and LhaL Lhe harm
occurred wlLhouL any negllgence on lLs parL

1he case of MC MehLa v unlon of lndla
amp CLhers (1988) 1 SCC 471 relaLes Lo
polluLlon caused by Lhe Lrade effluenLs
dlscharged by Lannerles lnLo Canga rlver ln
kanpur 1he courL called for Lhe reporL of Lhe
CommlLLee of experLs and gave dlrecLlons Lo
save Lhe envlronmenL and ecology lL was
held LhaL ln Common Law Lhe Munlclpal
CorporaLlon can be resLralned by an
ln[uncLlon ln an acLlon broughL by a rlparlan
owner who has suffered on accounL of Lhe
polluLlon of Lhe waLer ln a rlver caused by Lhe
CorporaLlon by dlscharglng lnLo Lhe rlver
lnsufflclenLly LreaLed sewage from dlscharglng
such sewage lnLo Lhe rlver 8uL ln Lhe presenL
case Lhe peLlLloner ls noL a rlparlan owner Pe
ls a person lnLeresLed ln proLecLlng Lhe llves
of Lhe people who make use of Lhe waLer
flowlng ln Lhe rlver Canga and hls rlghL Lo
malnLaln Lhe peLlLlon cannoL be dlspuLed 1he
nulsance caused by Lhe polluLlon of Lhe rlver
Canga ls a publlc nulsance whlch ls
wlderspread ln range and lndlscrlmlnaLe ln lLs
effecL and lL would noL be reasonable Lo
expecL any parLlcular person Lo Lake
proceedlngs Lo sLop lL as dlsLlncL from Lhe
communlLy aL large 1he peLlLlon has been
enLerLalned as a ubllc lnLeresL LlLlgaLlon Cn
Lhe facLs and ln Lhe clrcumsLances of Lhe case
Lhe peLlLloner ls enLlLled Lo move Lhe
Supreme CourL ln order Lo enforce Lhe
sLaLuLory provlslons whlch lmpose duLles on
Lhe munlclpal auLhorlLles and Lhe 8oards
consLlLuLed under Lhe JaLer (revenLlon and
ConLrol of olluLlon) AcL 1974

1he recenL example ls Lhe converslon of all
publlc LransporL ln Lhe MeLropollLan ClLy of
uelhl from dlesel englne Lo CnC englne on
Lhe basls of Lhe order of Lhe Plgh CourL of
uelhl Lo ensure LhaL Lhe polluLlon level ls
curLalled and Lhls ls belng compleLely
observed for Lhe lasL several years Cnly CnC
vehlcles are permlLLed Lo ply on uelhl roads
for publlc LransporL

1PL 18AnSA8LnC? Anu
8C8l1? ln CCvL8nAnCL
PASLlll C 1PL u8LlC
ln1L8LS1 Ll1lCA1lCn

ln Lhe 1990s Lhe Supreme CourL expanded
Lhe amblL and scope of publlc lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon furLher 1he Plgh CourLs also under
ArLlcle 226 followed Lhe Supreme CourL and
passed a number of [udgmenLs orders or
dlrecLlons Lo unearLh corrupLlon and malnLaln
problLy and morallLy ln Lhe governance of Lhe
SLaLe 1he problLy ln governance ls a slne qua
non for an efflclenL sysLem of admlnlsLraLlon
and for Lhe developmenL of Lhe counLry and
an lmporLanL requlremenL for ensurlng
problLy ln governance ls Lhe absence of
corrupLlon 1hls may broadly be called as Lhe
Lhlrd phase of Lhe ubllc lnLeresL LlLlgaLlon
1he Supreme CourL and Plgh CourLs have
passed slgnlflcanL orders

1he case of vlneeLnaraln CLhers v unlon of
lndla AnoLher Al8 1998 SC 889 ls an
example of lLs klnd ln LhaL case Lhe
peLlLloner who was a [ournallsL flled a publlc
lnLeresL llLlgaLlon Accordlng Lo hlm Lhe
prlme lnvesLlgaLlng agencles llke Lhe CenLral
8ureau of lnvesLlgaLlon and Lhe 8evenue
auLhorlLles falled Lo perform Lhelr legal
obllgaLlon and Lake approprlaLe acLlon when
Lhey found durlng lnvesLlgaLlon wlLh a
LerrorlsL deLalled accounLs of vasL paymenLs
called `!aln dlarles made Lo lnfluenLlal
pollLlclans and bureaucraLs and dlrecLlon was
also soughL ln case of a slmllar naLure LhaL
may occur hereafLer A number of dlrecLlons
were lssued by Lhe Supreme CourL 1he CourL
ln LhaL case observed LhaL lL ls LrlLe LhaL Lhe
holders of publlc offlces are enLrusLed wlLh
cerLaln power Lo be exerclsed ln publlc
lnLeresL alone and Lherefore Lhe offlce ls
held by Lhem ln LrusL for Lhe people

AnoLher slgnlflcanL case ls 8a[lv 8an[an Slngh
`Lalan AnoLher v unlon of lndla CLhers
(2006) 6 SCC 613 1hls publlc lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon relaLes Lo Lhe large scale defalcaLlon
of publlc funds and falslflcaLlon of accounLs
lnvolvlng hundreds of crores of rupees ln Lhe
ueparLmenL of Anlmal Pusbandry ln Lhe SLaLe
of 8lhar lL was sald LhaL Lhe respondenLs had
lnLerfered wlLh Lhe appolnLmenL of Lhe publlc
prosecuLor 1hls courL gave slgnlflcanL
dlrecLlons ln Lhls case

ln CenLre for ubllc lnLeresL LlLlgaLlon v
unlon of lndla amp AnoLher Al8 2003 SC
3277 Lwo wrlL peLlLlons were flled ln publlc
lnLeresL by Lhe peLlLloner calllng ln Lhe
quesLlon of declslon of Lhe governmenL Lo sell
ma[orlLy of shares ln PlndusLan eLroleum
CorporaLlon LlmlLed and 8haraL eLroleum
CorporaLlon LlmlLed Lo prlvaLe parLles wlLhouL
arllamenLary approval or sancLlon as belng
conLrary Lo and vlolaLlve of Lhe provlslons of
Lhe LSSC (AcqulslLlon of underLaklng ln lndla)
AcL 1974 Lhe 8urma Shell (AcqulslLlon of
underLaklng ln lndla) AcL 1976 and CalLex
(AcqulslLlon of Shares of CalLex Cll 8eflnlng
lndla LlmlLed and all Lhe underLaklngs ln lndla
for CalLex lndla LlmlLed) AcL 1977 1he courL
upheld Lhe peLlLlons unLll Lhe sLaLuLes are
amended approprlaLely

1hese are some of Lhe cases where Lhe
Supreme CourL and Lhe Plgh CourLs
broadened Lhe scope of publlc lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon and also enLerLalned peLlLlons Lo
ensure LhaL ln governance of Lhe SLaLe Lhere
ls Lransparency and no exLraneous
conslderaLlons are Laken lnLo conslderaLlon
excepL Lhe publlc lnLeresL 1hese cases
regardlng problLy ln governance or corrupLlon
ln publlc llfe dealL wlLh by Lhe courLs can be
placed ln Lhe Lhlrd phase of publlc lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon

A8uSL C u8LlC ln1L8LS1
Ll1lCA1lCn

unforLunaLely of laLe lL has been noLlced
LhaL such an lmporLanL [urlsdlcLlon whlch has
been carefully carved ouL creaLed and
nurLured wlLh greaL care and cauLlon by Lhe
courLs ls belng blaLanLly abused by flllng
some peLlLlons wlLh obllque moLlves Je
Lhlnk Llme has come when genulne and bona
flde publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon musL be
encouraged whereas frlvolous publlc lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon should be dlscouraged

ln our consldered oplnlon we have Lo proLecL
and preserve Lhls lmporLanL [urlsdlcLlon ln Lhe
larger lnLeresL of Lhe people of Lhls counLry
buL we musL Lake effecLlve sLeps Lo prevenL
and cure lLs abuse on Lhe basls of moneLary
and non moneLary dlrecLlons by Lhe courLs

ln 8ALCC Lmployees unlon (8egd) v unlon
of lndla amp CLhers Al8 2002 SC 330 Lhls
CourL recognlzed LhaL Lhere have been ln
recenL Llmes lncreaslng lnsLances of abuse of
publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon Accordlngly Lhe
courL has devlsed a number of sLraLegles Lo
ensure LhaL Lhe aLLracLlve brand name of
publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon should noL be
allowed Lo be used for susplclous producLs of
mlschlef lrsLly Lhe Supreme CourL has
llmlLed sLandlng ln lL Lo lndlvlduals acLlng
bonaflde Secondly Lhe Supreme CourL has
sancLloned Lhe lmposlLlon of exemplary
cosLs as a deLerrenL agalnsL frlvolous and
vexaLlous publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlons 1hlrdly
Lhe Supreme CourL has lnsLrucLed Lhe Plgh
CourLs Lo be more selecLlve ln enLerLalnlng
Lhe publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlons

ln S CupLas case (supra) Lhls CourL has
found LhaL Lhls llberal sLandard makes lL
crlLlcal Lo llmlL sLandlng Lo lndlvlduals acLlng
bona flde 1o avold enLerLalnlng frlvolous and
vexaLlous peLlLlons under Lhe gulse of lL Lhe
CourL has excluded Lwo groups of persons
from obLalnlng sLandlng ln lL peLlLlons lrsL
Lhe Supreme CourL has re[ecLed awardlng
sLandlng Lo meddlesome lnLerlopers
Second Lhe CourL has denled sLandlng Lo
lnLerveners brlnglng publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon
for personal galn

ln S Anand v Pu ueveCowdaamp
CLhers Al8 1997 SC 272 Lhe CourL warned
LhaL lL ls of uLmosL lmporLance LhaL Lhose
who lnvoke Lhe [urlsdlcLlon of Lhls CourL
seeklng a walver of Lhe locus sLandl rule musL
exerclse resLralnL ln movlng Lhe CourL by noL
plunglng ln areas whereln Lhey are noL well
versed

ln San[eev8haLnagar v unlon of lndla amp
CLhers Al8 2003 SC 2841 Lhls CourL wenL a
sLep furLher by lmposlng a moneLary penalLy
agalnsL an AdvocaLe for flllng a frlvolous and
vexaLlous lL peLlLlon 1he CourL found LhaL
Lhe peLlLlon was devold of publlc lnLeresL and
lnsLead labelled lL as publlclLy lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon 1hus Lhe CourL dlsmlssed Lhe
peLlLlon wlLh cosLs of 8s10000/

ln ! !ayalallLha v CovernmenL of 1amll nadu
amp CLhers (1999) 1 SCC 33 Lhls courL lald
down LhaL publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon can be
flled by any person challenglng Lhe mlsuse or
lmproper use of any publlc properLy lncludlng
Lhe pollLlcal parLy ln power for Lhe reason
LhaL lnLeresL of lndlvlduals cannoL be placed
above or preferred Lo a larger publlc lnLeresL

1hls courL has been qulLe consclous LhaL Lhe
forum of Lhls courL should noL be abused by
any one for personal galn or for any obllque
moLlve

ln Pollcow lcLures vL LLd v rem Chandra
Mlshra amp CLhers Al8 2008 SC 913 Lhls
CourL observed as under `lL ls depresslng Lo
noLe LhaL on accounL of such Lrumpery
proceedlngs lnlLlaLed before Lhe CourLs
lnnumerable days are wasLed Lhe Llme
whlch oLherwlse could have been spenL for
dlsposal of cases of Lhe genulne llLlganLs
1hough we spare no efforLs ln fosLerlng and
developlng Lhe laudable concepL of lL and
exLendlng our long arm of sympaLhy Lo Lhe
poor Lhe lgnoranL Lhe oppressed and Lhe
needy whose fundamenLal rlghLs
are lnfrlnged and vlolaLed and whose
grlevances go unnoLlced unrepresenLed and
unheard yeL we cannoL avold buL express our
oplnlon LhaL whlle genulne llLlganLs wlLh
leglLlmaLe grlevances relaLlng Lo clvll maLLers
lnvolvlng properLles worLh hundreds of
mllllons of rupees and crlmlnal cases ln whlch
persons senLenced Lo deaLh faclng gallows
under unLold agony and persons senLenced Lo
llfe lmprlsonmenL and kepL ln lncarceraLlon
for long years persons sufferlng from undue
delay ln servlce maLLers governmenL or
prlvaLe persons awalLlng Lhe dlsposal of
cases whereln huge amounLs of publlc
revenue or unauLhorlzed collecLlon of Lax
amounLs are locked up deLenu expecLlng
Lhelr release from Lhe deLenLlon orders eLc
eLc are all sLandlng ln a long
serpenLlne queue for years wlLh Lhe fond
hope of geLLlng lnLo Lhe CourLs and havlng
Lhelr grlevances redressed Lhe busybodles
meddlesome lnLerlopers wayfarers or
offlclous lnLerveners havlng absoluLely
no publlc lnLeresL excepL for personal galn
or prlvaLe proflL elLher of Lhemselves or as a
proxy of oLhers or for any oLher exLraneous
moLlvaLlon or for glare of publlclLy break Lhe
queue mufflng Lhelr faces by wearlng Lhe
mask of publlc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon and geL lnLo
Lhe CourLs by flllng vexaLlous and frlvolous
peLlLlons and Lhus crlmlnally wasLe Lhe
valuable Llme of Lhe CourLs and as a resulL of
whlch Lhe queue sLandlng ouLslde Lhe doors
of Lhe CourLs never moves whlch plquanL
slLuaLlon creaLes frusLraLlon ln Lhe mlnds of
Lhe genulne llLlganLs and resulLanLly
Lhey loose falLh ln Lhe admlnlsLraLlon of our
[udlclal sysLem

1he CourL cauLloned by observlng LhaL

ubllc lnLeresL llLlgaLlon ls a weapon whlch
has Lo be used wlLh greaL care and
clrcumspecLlon and Lhe [udlclary has Lo be
exLremely careful Lo see LhaL behlnd Lhe
beauLlful vell of publlc lnLeresL an ugly prlvaLe
mallce vesLed lnLeresL and/or publlclLy
seeklng ls noL lurklng lL ls Lo be used as an
effecLlve weapon ln Lhe armory of law
for dellverlng soclal [usLlce Lo Lhe clLlzens
1he aLLracLlve brand name of publlc lnLeresL
llLlgaLlon should noL be used for
susplclous producLs of mlschlef lL should be
almed aL redressal of genulne publlc wrong or
publlc ln[ury and noL publlclLy orlenLed or
founded on personal vendeLLa

1he CourL has Lo be saLlsfled abouL (a)
Lhe credenLlals of Lhe appllcanL (b) Lhe prlma
facle correcLness or naLure of lnformaLlon
glven by hlm (c) Lhe lnformaLlon belng noL
vague and lndeflnlLe 1he lnformaLlon should
show gravlLy and serlousness lnvolved CourL
has Lo sLrlke balance beLween Lwo confllcLlng
lnLeresLs

(l) nobody should be allowed Lo lndulge ln
wlld and reckless allegaLlons
besmlrchlng Lhe characLer of oLhers
and (ll) avoldance of publlc mlschlef and
Lo avold mlschlevous peLlLlons seeklng
Lo assall for obllque moLlves [usLlflable
execuLlve acLlons ln such case
however Lhe CourL cannoL afford Lo be
llberal lL has Lo be exLremely careful Lo
see LhaL under Lhe gulse of redresslng a
publlc grlevance lL does noL encroach
upon Lhe sphere reserved by Lhe
ConsLlLuLlon Lo Lhe LxecuLlve and Lhe
LeglslaLure 1he CourL has Lo acL
ruLhlessly whlle deallng wlLh lmposLers
and busybodles or meddlesome
lnLerlopers lmpersonaLlng as publlc
splrlLed holy men 1hey masquerade
as crusaders of [usLlce 1hey preLend Lo
acL ln Lhe name of ro 8ono ubllco
Lhough Lhey have no lnLeresL of Lhe
publlc or even of Lhelr own Lo proLecL

Je musL abundanLly make lL clear LhaL
we are noL dlscouraglng Lhe publlc
lnLeresL llLlgaLlon ln any manner whaL
we are Lrylng Lo curb ls lLs mlsuse and
abuse Accordlng Lo us Lhls ls a very
lmporLanL branch and ln a large number
of lL peLlLlons slgnlflcanL dlrecLlons
have been glven by Lhe courLs for
lmprovlng ecology and envlronmenL
and dlrecLlons helped ln preservaLlon of
foresLs wlldllfe marlne llfe eLc eLc lL ls
Lhe bounden duLy and obllgaLlon of Lhe
courLs Lo encourage genulne bona flde
lL peLlLlons and pass dlrecLlons and
orders ln Lhe publlc lnLeresL whlch are ln
consonance wlLh Lhe ConsLlLuLlon and
Lhe Laws

1he ubllc lnLeresL LlLlgaLlon whlch has
been ln exlsLence ln our counLry for
more Lhan four decades has a glorlous
record 1hls CourL and Lhe Plgh CourLs
by Lhelr [udlclal creaLlvlLy and
crafLsmanshlp have passed a number of
dlrecLlons ln Lhe larger publlc lnLeresL ln
consonance wlLh Lhe lnherenL splrlLs of
Lhe ConsLlLuLlon 1he condlLlons of
marglnallzed and vulnerable secLlon of
socleLy have slgnlflcanLly lmproved on
accounL of courLs dlrecLlons ln Lhe lL

ln our consldered vlew now lL has
become lmperaLlve Lo sLreamllne Lhe
lL

Je have carefully consldered Lhe facLs
of Lhe presenL case Je have also
examlned Lhe law declared by Lhls courL
and oLher courLs ln a number of
[udgmenLs

ln order Lo preserve Lhe purlLy and sancLlLy of
Lhe lL lL has become lmperaLlve Lo lssue Lhe
followlng dlrecLlons

(1) 1he courts must encourage genu|ne and
bona f|de IL and effect|ve|y d|scourage and
curb the IL f||ed for extraneous
cons|derat|ons

(2) Instead of every |nd|v|dua| [udge dev|s|ng
h|s own procedure for dea||ng w|th the
pub||c |nterest ||t|gat|on |t wou|d be
appropr|ate for each n|gh Court to proper|y
formu|ate ru|es for encourag|ng the genu|ne
IL and d|scourag|ng the IL f||ed w|th
ob||que mot|ves Consequent|y we request
that the n|gh Courts who have not yet
framed the ru|es shou|d frame the ru|es
w|th|n three months 1he keg|strar Genera|
of each n|gh Court |s d|rected to ensure that
a copy of the ku|es prepared by the n|gh
Court |s sent to the Secretary Genera| of th|s
court |mmed|ate|y thereafter

(3) 1he courts shou|d pr|ma fac|e ver|fy
the credent|a|s of the pet|t|oner
before enterta|n|ng a IL

(4) 1he court shou|d be pr|ma fac|e
sat|sf|ed regard|ng the correctness of the
contents of the pet|t|on before enterta|n|ng
a IL

(S) 1he court shou|d be fu||y sat|sf|ed
that substant|a| pub||c |nterest |s |nvo|ved
before enterta|n|ng the pet|t|on

(6) 1he court shou|d ensure that the pet|t|on
wh|ch |nvo|ves |arger pub||c |nterest grav|ty
and urgency must be g|ven pr|or|ty over
other pet|t|ons

(7) 1he courts before enterta|n|ng the IL
shou|d ensure that the IL |s a|med at
redressa| of genu|ne pub||c harm or pub||c
|n[ury 1he court shou|d a|so ensure that
there |s no persona| ga|n pr|vate mot|ve or
ob||que mot|ve beh|nd f|||ng the pub||c
|nterest ||t|gat|on

(8) 1he court shou|d a|so ensure that the
pet|t|ons f||ed by busybod|es for extraneous
and u|ter|or mot|ves must be d|scouraged by
|mpos|ng exemp|ary costs or by adopt|ng
s|m||ar nove| methods to curb fr|vo|ous
pet|t|ons and the pet|t|ons f||ed for
extraneous cons|derat|ons



8LL8LnCLS

An lnLroducLlon Lo Lhe
ConsLlLuLlon of lndla and
rofesslonal LLhlcs (Meragu
ubllcaLlons)
wwwgooglecoln
wwwwlklpedlaorg