HC hauls up petitioner for fraud, imposes cost

Chennai, Sep 2 (UNI) The Madras High Court has imposed a cost of Rs 20,000 on a writ petitioner for suppressing material facts thereby playing a fraud on the court.

M Jagannathan should pay the amount to the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority within two weeks, Justice S Nagamuthu said.

The petitioner's tanker lorry was seized by the Civil Supplies CID police at the border of Ulundurpet for transporting kerosene illegally on March 7, 2008. A case was registered for offences under the Essential Commodities Act.

He filed a writ petition on April 2, 2008 praying for a direction to the authorities concerned to release the tanker.

After several adjournments, when the matter was finally taken up on August 22, 2008, the Additional Government Pleader informed Justice Nagamuthu the petitioner, in the meantime, filed another writ petition and obtained an order in his favour on July 15, 2008.

He could not take delivery of the vehicle as he could not produce the original registration certificate.

However, in the present petition, he had not disclosed any detail relating to the filing and obtaining order on earlier writ petition, he contended.

Holding the petitioner had played a fraud on the court by misleading and suppressing facts thereby wasting the precious time of the court, the judge dismissed the present petition and imposed the cost.

UNI XR GM LPB SSC1203