The Bombay High Court on Tuesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the awarding of a contract for a major road tunnel project between Mumbai and Thane. The court criticized the petitioner, journalist V Ravi Prakash, for not approaching the court with “clean hands” and making “scandalous” remarks about the judiciary.
The PIL alleged fraudulent activities in the bank guarantees provided by Megha Engineering Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL), accepted by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for the twin tube road tunnel project valued at Rs 16,600.40 crore. Prakash also sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged discrepancies.
However, the maintainability of the plea was contested by MEIL and the government, particularly highlighting Prakash’s subsequent conduct. After filing the PIL, Prakash reportedly made several inappropriate comments on social media targeting the court, which the division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Bharati Dangre found unacceptable.
“A person who approaches court with a PIL must do so not only with ‘clean hands’ but also with a ‘clean heart, mind, and objective’,” the bench stated, emphasizing the necessity for integrity and transparency in legal pursuits.
The court also noted that Prakash failed to disclose ongoing litigation between himself and MEIL, further questioning his motives and truthfulness in filing the PIL. “The petitioner is guilty of making inappropriate tweets which scandalize the court and of suppression of facts,” the justices remarked, declaring that the PIL was not filed in good faith.
While Prakash later removed the controversial posts from social media, the damage to his credibility in court remained significant. “The petitioner has scandalised the court and undoubtedly committed criminal contempt,” the court observed. Despite these issues, the High Court chose not to initiate contempt proceedings against him.
