Supreme Court Slams Misuse of PILs as ‘Publicity, Paisa, and Political’ Interest Litigation

The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the increasing misuse of Public Interest Litigation (PIL), remarking that the jurisdiction is frequently exploited for motives other than genuine public welfare.

During a hearing before a nine-judge Constitution Bench led by CJI Surya Kant, Justice BV Nagarathna observed that PILs have devolved into "private, publicity, paisa, and political" interest litigations.

The Bench emphasized that petitions should not be entertained based solely on newspaper reports or manufactured articles.

The Court clarified that while it remains committed to addressing real public grievances, it will strictly scrutinize filings to prevent the conversion of every private grievance into a PIL.