The Supreme Court dismissed a PIL seeking nationwide safety guidelines on roads, electricity and infrastructure, with CJI Surya Kant saying the court is “not a shopping mall” and cannot entertain vague, wide-ranging petitions.
SC rejects omnibus PIL seeking directions to curb negligence by authorities
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday dismissed a public interest litigation seeking wide-ranging guidelines for improving road maintenance, electrical safety and infrastructure across the country.
The bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, strongly criticised the petition, observing that it lacked focus and attempted to raise multiple unrelated issues in a single case.
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The petition had been filed by an organisation named Jan Suruthi, which urged the court to direct authorities to frame comprehensive safety guidelines to prevent deaths caused by poor infrastructure and safety lapses.
However, the Chief Justice pointed out that such a broad request was impractical given the varying financial conditions of states across India. He noted that some states are already struggling to manage their finances and are even forced to borrow funds to meet basic obligations such as paying salaries to government employees.
In such circumstances, issuing uniform directions may not produce effective results, the court observed.
During the hearing, the Chief Justice remarked that the petition resembled a “shopping mall” because it attempted to cover a wide range of unrelated concerns.
“The Supreme Court is not a shopping mall,” the bench said, stressing that petitions cannot combine multiple issues and expect the court to address them through sweeping orders.
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The court added that vague and overly broad petitions make it difficult to examine the legal aspects of the matter properly.
The bench explained that public interest litigations must clearly identify a specific violation of law or a particular issue requiring judicial intervention. Requests seeking general orders covering several government departments without detailed legal grounds cannot be effectively considered by the court.
Observing that the petition had been filed without sufficient research or a clear legal basis, the Supreme Court dismissed the case.
