‘Publicity Interest Litigation’: High Court Calls Out Serial Petitioner, Junks Bunch Of Pleas

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court called out a ‘serial petitioner’ on Monday, dismissing two of his petitions and refusing to hear a third one.

The court told the petitioner in question, Pune’s Hemant Patil, one of his pleas was politically motivated.

Patil had sought directions from the high court for an ‘independent agency’ under its supervision to register an FIR against former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray and former minister Anil Deshmukh for an alleged case of extortion.

The bench of Justices SV Gangapurwala and SG Dige asked the petitioner under which provision such directions could be issued.

Calling the petition “politically motivated” and a “publicity interest litigation” which doesn’t have any public interest element, the two-judge bench dismissed it.

The court also dismissed another of Patil’s petition, seeking investigation against an NCP worker for making comments to the media that could have led to disharmony in public.

Another plea by Patil sought an independent inquiry against Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and his associates for their alleged involvement in ‘manipulation’ of patient figures in COVID centres managed by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

“We do not find any details in the allegations, no documents. We cannot direct a roving and fishing inquiry. No further orders can be passed. PILs are disposed of,” the judges said.