AUTHORED BY: GAURAV PURI (MANAGING PARTNER, GLS LAW OFFICES)
Debolina Mitra (Associate, Capital Markets, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.)
ABSTRACT
Public Interest Litigation, a concept that emerged in the 1980s in India aimed at the heart of it to provide justice to people who had no access to it. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud recently observed while hearing a PIL filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy challenging the Centre’s recent policy guidelines on grant of security clearances to companies that PIL was a revolutionary concept aimed at “extending its long arm of sympathy to the poor, the ignorant, the oppressed and the needy whose fundamental rights are infringed and violated and whose grievances go unnoticed, un-represented and unheard”.
PIL has emerged as this powerful weapon for the poor which is enunciated by a plethora of cases where justice has come about the by the actions of public spirited third parties but in the same breath we have a plethora of cases which are filed by interested parties increasing the number of cases pending and the huge burden on the Indian Courts.
The paper talks about how Public Interest Litigation emerged and revolutionized the Indian Justice system. It further states how PILs are now being abused by interested parties that are using this to go forth their own agenda.
Published in: JOURNAL OF LEGAL METHODOLOGY, POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1, JANUARY 2019
PDF Link: https://www.glslawoffices.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/abuse-of-pil-1.pdf