Justice L Narasimha Reddy of the High Court on Friday imposed Rs 15,000 costs on a petitioner for having suppressed material facts while filing a writ petition.
The judge was dealing with a petition filed by D Prabhaker complaining that the government authorities had failed to take action on his complaint about alleged encroachment of 11 acres of government land in Survey No 6 at Thettekunta village in Vemulawada mandal in Karimnagar district.
He had complained that precious land of the government was being grabbed by some local heavyweights and though he had made representations to the authorities they did not take any action.
It was pointed out that the petitioner, representing the Avatar Meher Baba Trust, had earlier filed a petition in 2004 seeking similar relief.
On enquiry the court had then found that the land in question did not belong to the government and directed both the government and the trust not to interfere with the possession of the land by the owners.
Without stating the above facts, the petitioner for the second time filed the writ petition in his personal capacity.
Faulting the petitioner for withholding the relevant facts, the judge said that such abuse of the process of law amounted not only to wasting of the court’s time but was also an abuse of the process of the court and the petitioner should not go unpunished.
He said the penalty to be paid by the petitioner should be used for the local social welfare hostel for girls so that people would know the source and understand the consequence of abuse of law.