Essay On Public Interest Litigation

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PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION (PIL) IN INDIA:

Introduction:
Public Interest Litigation generally means litigation or a petition for the protection of public interest. It is not established in court of law, by the aggrieved party himself but by the court itself or any other private party. PIL is the power given to the public by the court through judicial activism. However, the person filing the petition must prove to the satisfaction of the court that the PIL is being filed for a public interest not for any personal or political vendetta.
Such cases where the victim cannot approach the court himself due to lack of required resources or is being is suppressed upon, the court can itself take the cognizance of the matter and commence on the petition. …show more content…

It does not mean anything so narrow as mere curiosity, or as the interests of the particular localities, which may be affected by the matters in question.
Interest shared by citizens generally in affairs of local, state or national government...."

The Supreme Court of India in People's Union for Democratic Rights & Others v. Union of India & Others [AIR (1982) 3 SCC 235] defined PIL as, “….is a cooperative or collaborative effort by the petitioner, the State of public authority and the judiciary to secure observance of constitutional or basic human rights, benefits and privileges upon poor, downtrodden and vulnerable sections of the society".

Origin and History of PIL:

The term “PIL” first originated in the United States in the mid-1980s. The Indian PIL is an improved version of the US PIL. Prior to 1980s only the aggrieved party has the locus standi to file a case and seek remedy for his grievance the non affected persons had no locus standi to do so. As a result of this there was hardly any link between the rights given by the Constitution, laws laid down by the legislature and the vast majority of illiterate citizens of the

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