India, March 10: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a public interest litigation seeking directions to prevent deaths allegedly caused by civic negligence and issued a stern warning to young lawyers against filing PILs solely for media attention.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi told the petitioner’s counsel to prioritize building professional skills during the early years of practice, including learning law and drafting, rather than pursuing publicity driven litigation.
“So you better concentrate on the profession. This coming in the National Media that should be stopped for those serious about the profession,” the CJI remarked. “Instead of working in offices, learning law, you are drafting baseless petitions only to appear on social media.”
The top court found the plea “vague, evasive and with wide averments, seeking directions which are unmanageable,” and said there was no reason to entertain it. The PIL had sought sweeping instructions to curb foreseeable deaths from failures in public infrastructure maintenance.
While reviewing the petition, the bench questioned why a specific complaint had not been lodged with authorities for the incidents cited, rather than approaching the court through a PIL. The petitioner’s counsel responded that the matter had become a “national issue” and was not limited to a single case.
When asked about her experience, the counsel stated she had been practicing for four years. The CJI advised that young lawyers should spend initial years learning from seniors and developing professional expertise, rather than filing petitions primarily for publicity.