SC imposes fine of Rs one lakh on petitioner

New Delhi, Apr 12 (UNI) In a strong writ to discourage the bogus Public Interest Litigation, the Supreme Court has imposed an exemplary cost of Rs one lakh on a petitioner for wasting the time of the court by filing a bogus PIL.

The cost was imposed by a bench headed by Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal, on the petitioner Deepak Aggarwal, who had alledged in his petition that the land alloted in Chhattisgarh for setting up a coal washery plant was forest land which cannot be alloted.

The Supreme Court appointed Central Empower Committee submitted two reports in the Apex Court, clarifying that the land alloted for the plant was not a forest land.

While dismissing the petition, the court directed that the petitioner would pay the cost of Rupees one lakh within four weeks, as it was a case of sheer wastage of the time of the court.

In case of default, the amount shall be recovered as arrears of land revenue.

UNI AKS/SC SHB GC1719