CHENNAI: Holding that the petitioner has grossly abused and misused the august forum of public interest litigation (PIL) to file a petition for vested interest, the Madras High Court has imposed costs of Rs 1 lakh on him.
The court also dismissed the PIL filed by M Selvakumar of Chinna Kandiyan Kuppam village in Cuddalore district.
The PIL had sought directions for regulating illegal mining allegedly done by J Karthikeyan, of Kattukudalur Road, in the surrounding areas of Nadiyapattu village with the connivance of the local government officials.
The first bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice Sunder Mohan, in a recent order, said the counter affidavit and the details submitted in the court are “shocking”.
“This also reveals that the august forum of PIL has been grossly abused and misused by the petitioner to serve his own vested interest,” the bench said.
Further, it said the records reveal that criminal cases have been registered against the petitioner for alleged illegal transportation of minerals and illegal mining in 2024 and 2025.
An FIR for defamatory comments against the seventh respondent, Karthikeyan, was also registered, the bench noted.
All these facts have been completely suppressed while filing the PIL by the petitioner whose “bona fide and credibility is doubtful”.
“Misuse and abuse of the august forum in the name of PIL is on the rise. Therefore, we are inclined to take a strong exception to the petitioner abusing the forum of PIL to settle his personal score,” the bench said in the order.
It directed the petitioner to pay the amount to the TN State Legal Services Authority within one month, failing which shall entail initiation of appropriate proceedings.
Additional Government Pleader Stalin Abhimanyu appeared for the respondent authorities. He submitted that a team of officials led by assistant director of Geology and Mines had conducted inspection of the sites as alleged by the petitioner and found no illegal removal of minerals.
He also submitted that a vehicle belonging to the petitioner was seized in November 2024 by the police for illegal transportation of gravel and an FIR was registered in this regard.