Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, June 3: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed petitions accusing the Odisha government of illegal building and excavation at Shree Jagannath temple in Puri, and condemned the practise of filing PILs for publicity or personal gain, which wastes the court’s time.
Two PILs were dismissed and two petitioners were fined Rs 1 lakh each by a panel of Justices BR Gavai and Hima Kohli.
“In the recent past, there is a mushroom growth of PILs. Many such petitions are either publicity interest litigation or personal interest litigation. We deprecate the practice of filing such PIL as it is a waste of judicial time and it needs to be nipped in bud so that development work is not stalled,” the bench said in its order.
The Supreme Court refused to hear petitions seeking a halt on the construction of the Jagannath Temple Corridor, describing it as a necessity for providing public services.The construction works appear to be aimed at providing facilities and services to believers.
The Supreme Court was hearing public interest litigation (PILs) challenging the Orisha Court’s refusal to stop the state government from excavating around the Shree Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha.
The bench heard arguments from attorneys for petitioners and the state administration yesterday and postponed the decision until today.
