Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said during an event that PIL has become a source of political vendetta and pressure on the bureaucracy. He said that due to misuse of PILs, courts have now become cautious in considering PILs.

CJI said these things in a joint conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts held at Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi. The CJI said- “The decision of trivial litigation is also a matter of concern. Public interest litigation is now turning into litigation for personal interest. Many a times, PILs are misused to stall projects or put pressure on public officials. These days PIL has become a tool for anyone who wants political revenge”.

Apart from this, the CJI also advocated for a debate before the law is passed by the Parliament. The CJI said- “If the legislature passes a law keeping in mind the welfare of the people, then the scope of litigation is minimized. The legislature is expected to solicit and debate the views of the public before making laws.

The CJI was seen taking a tough stand in front of PM Modi. Even before this, CJI Ramana has spoken publicly about the shortcomings in the judicial system many times. To a question about the judiciary being often blamed for pending cases, he said the number of cases registered and disposed of each day is unimaginable.

He said contempt petitions are a new category of burden on the courts. This is a direct result of disobedience on the part of the governments. The CJI said- “Deliberate inaction by governments in spite of judicial pronouncements is not good for democracy. Though policy-making is not our jurisdiction, if a citizen comes to the court with a prayer to get his grievance redressed, the courts cannot say no….”

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