The Supreme Court criticized a man for making allegations against famous environmental lawyer M.C. Mehta. The court said such accusations should not be made without proof. It warned against targeting people who work for public welfare. The case highlights the need for responsible legal actions.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court slammed a man for making baseless allegations against environmental lawyer and activist M C Mehta, emphasizing that it is largely due to Mehta’s efforts that environmental law has progressed in India.
A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuya considered imposing costs on petitioner Mukesh Jain, who serves as the President of an organization called Ram Rakshak Shri Dara Sena, but ultimately refrained from doing so.
Jain had alleged in his petition that Mehta received funding from international agencies associated with Naxalites.
The bench stated,
“Personally, we do not know who M C Mehta is but a large number of petitions were filed by him raising environmental issues in which orders have been passed from 1980. It is only because of exercise taken by this court in cases filed by M C Mehta that law relating to pollution has evolved which has helped the government and other public institutions to reduce the pollution. These are orders which saved Taj Mahal from drastic effect of pollution,”
The court determined that Jain’s allegations were not made in good faith.
The bench added,
“In fact, we would have been justified in imposing cost. We are not doing so because this is the first time the applicant has indulged in such conduct. We put him to notice that such reckless allegations will not be tolerated,”
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Jain’s claims were presented in an application during a hearing concerning a ban on firecrackers. He argued that the use of firecrackers is beneficial for the environment and sought the removal of the ban.
In his application, Jain accused Mehta of being part of a conspiracy funded by the Ford Foundation and “international governments,” alleging that Mehta had accumulated assets worth Rs 500 crore through his legal work. When pressed by the court to provide evidence for these claims, Jain responded, “No lawyer works for free.”