The Supreme Court of India fined a petitioner Rs. 1,00,000 for habitual forum shopping and filing meritless petitions over a decade, hindering the judicial process. The court emphasized responsible use of the right to access justice, criticizing the petitioner for abusing legal resources and delaying genuine cases. The case highlights the need to prevent such misconduct.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India recently imposed a hefty fine of Rs. 1,00,000 on a petitioner who indulged in relentless forum shopping and filed meritless petitions for over a decade. The petitioner had approached courts, including the High Court of Bombay and the Supreme Court, more than 10 times, clogging the judicial system with repetitive and baseless claims.
A bench comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Rajesh Bindal delivered the judgment, emphasizing the critical balance between the right to access justice and the responsibility to use this right judiciously. The court declared,
“The right to access the courts is a cornerstone of our democracy. However, this right is not absolute and must be exercised responsibly. When litigants, like the petitioner before us, engage in forum shopping, file repetitive and meritless pleas, and deliberately delay proceedings, they erode the very foundation of our legal system.”
The petitioner, dismissed from his job in 2000 due to misconduct, repeatedly challenged his removal despite multiple judicial affirmations of the dismissal. Initially, his statutory appeal was rejected. He then approached the Central Government Industrial Tribunal (Mumbai), the High Court of Bombay, and the Supreme Court, all of which upheld his dismissal on grounds of prolonged unauthorized absences from duty.
Despite these consistent outcomes, the petitioner filed review petitions, special leave petitions (SLPs), and complaints across different forums, including an application to the Ministry of Law & Justice seeking inquiries against judges involved in his case. The petitioner even alleged corruption against high-ranking officials, including the President, Prime Minister, and Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.
The court observed that the petitioner’s actions exemplified “blatant misuse and abuse of the judicial process.” The petitioner repeatedly filed complaints and attempted to re-litigate settled matters, which “choked the system of the court, resulting in delays in decisions for genuine litigants.”
The Supreme Court strongly criticized the petitioner, stating,
“This Special Leave Petition before us is yet another stark example of the blatant misuse and abuse of the judicial process. The petitioner… has embarked on a relentless and frivolous litigation spree… This is one of the reasons that results in choking the dockets in courts.”
The court also remarked that litigants like the petitioner not only waste judicial time but also “pollute the stream of justice and put hurdles in its dispensation to others.” It emphasized the need for courts at all levels to curb such practices to ensure that time is available for addressing genuine cases.
The court cited notable cases such as Subrata Roy Sahara v. Union of India (2014) and Dalip Singh v. State of Uttar Pradesh (2010), where the judiciary condemned the misuse of the legal system. These rulings underscore the importance of preserving the sanctity of the justice system.
The Supreme Court dismissed the petitioner’s SLP and imposed a fine of Rs. 1,00,000, delivering a clear message to discourage such abuse of judicial resources. It added that the penalty serves as a “warning to unscrupulous litigants” not to misuse the judicial system for personal grievances.
Case Title – PANDURANG VITHAL KEVNE v. BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LIMITED & ANR., SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (CIVIL) DIARY NO. 56230 OF 2024
Read the Judgement here:
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