PIL not meant for personal gain or political motive: SC

New Delhi, July 16 (UNI) In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court has ruled that while trying to redress public grievances through Public Interest Litigations (PILs) the courts must not encroach upon the area reserved by the Constitution for the executive and the legislature.

While upholding the judgement of Allahabad High Court dismissing a PIL as not maintainable, the apex court observed, ''A PIL should not be Publicity Interest Litigation, or Private Interest Litigation or Politics Interest litigation or the latest trend Paise Income Litigation.'' A division bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat and Lokeshwar Singh Panta in the judgement dated July 12 noted, ''The court has to act ruthlessly while dealing with imposters and busybodies or meddlesome interlopers impersonating as public spirited holymen.

The petitions of such busybodies deserve to be thrown out by rejection at the threshold and in appropriate cases with exemplary costs.'' One Kushum Lata had filed a PIL in a case of auction for mines of sand and boulders in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, in which she was not allowed to participate.

The apex court held, ''If not properly regulated and abuse averted, a PIL becomes a tool in unscruplous hands to get vendetta and wreak vengeance as well. Courts of justice must not be allowed to be polluted by unscruplous litigants by resorting to the extraordinary jurisdiction. A person acting bona fide and having sufficient interest in the proceedings of public interest litigation will alone have a locus standi and can approach the court to wipe out violation of fundamental rights and genuine infraction of statutory provisions, but not for personal gain or private profit or political motive or any oblique consideration.'' UNI AKS/SC VA VP1145