Proposal pilloried
Stringent criticism by the erstwhile Chief Justice of India A M Ahmadi and adverse public opinion apparently forced the United Front (UF) government to do a Volte face on its plan to push, in Parliament, for a Public Interest Litigation Bill, 1997 (Down To Earth, Vol 5, No 20). The government seems hesitant, at least temporarily, to bring about the legislation, which was meant to scuttle the public interest litigation (PIL) route of seeking justice - often adopted for judicial remedy to environmental wrongs.
This decision came about recently after union law minister Ramakant D Khalap held consultations with the members of the Bar, judges and officials. It was felt by many observers, including those who had severely criticised the PIL Bill proposal, that before bringing in such a Bill, the judiciary should be given another chance to cut down on the number of petitions by not entertaining frivolous ones. Chief Justice J S Verma had also observed that as several of the PILs are used by individuals to gain public attention, the judiciary should be made accountable to sea that no undue advantage is taken of such a powerful legal instrument.
The UF government had proposed the Bill last month after the Prime Minister, H D Deve Gowda, had commented in a meeting of power ministers and law ministers held in October 16, 1996 (Down To Earth, Vol 5, No 17), that every time a development project come up, it was attacked by individuals and non-governmental organisations on grounds of adverse environmental consequences.