'Personal Cause Disguised As Public Interest': P&H High Court Imposes ₹25K Cost On Mohali Dy Mayor For Misusing PIL Jurisdiction

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has imposed Rs. 25k cost on the Deputy Mayor of Mohali for filing a PIL to further a personal cause. The Court observed that a public interest litigation cannot be entertained where the cause raised is, in fact, a personal cause presented as a public cause. A division bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry was hearing a public interest litigation filed by the petitioner challenging certain tender processes relating to upgradation, resurfacing and beautification of roads and junctions in Mohali under a government programme. On an earlier date, the Court had directed the petitioner to disclose his political affiliation, pursuant to which an affidavit was filed. During the course of the hearing, the Court examined the pleadings and noticed a tabular statement in the petition indicating that horticulture work on a 45-metre-wide road in Medicity, New Chandigarh, was being carried out by the petitioner, while other works were being executed by different contractors.When queried on this aspect, counsel for the petitioner submitted that the said statement had been reproduced from another document and that the disclosure regarding the petitioner carrying out the horticulture work was factually incorrect. However, the Court found that the pleadings in the petition did not support this explanation. It also noted that although the petitioner had claimed to have made several representations, no such representations were placed on record.On consideration of the material, the Court held that the contents of the petition indicated a personal interest of the petitioner in the subject matter. The Court concluded that the cause raised in the petition was, in fact, a personal cause camouflaged as a public cause and therefore, the petition could not be treated as a genuine public interest litigation.Accordingly, the High Court dismissed the petition as not maintainable and imposed costs of Rs. 25,000/- on the petitioner, directing that the same be deposited with the PGI Poor Patient Welfare Fund, Chandigarh, within a period of 15 days.Case Title: Kuljit Singh Bedi vs. State of Punjab & Ors. [CWP-PIL-30-2026 (O&M)]Click Here To Read/Download Order

'Personal Cause Disguised As Public Interest': P&H High Court Imposes ₹25K Cost On Mohali Dy Mayor For Misusing PIL Jurisdiction

Saksham Vaishya

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