The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition challenging the Bombay High Court’s decision regarding the provision of basic amenities to cricketers practicing on public grounds in Mumbai. The court criticized the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), questioning the petitioner’s interest in the cricketers’ issues.
The PIL, filed by a lawyer, was intended to secure basic facilities such as drinking water and toilets for cricketers during practice sessions and informal matches on public grounds. The Bombay High Court had dismissed the petition last June, leading the lawyer to approach the Supreme Court.
During the hearing, the bench comprising Justice A S Oka and Justice A G Masih questioned the relevance of the lawyer’s concern, pointing out that the cricketers could address these issues themselves. “What kind of Public Interest Litigation is this? If there are no toilets for cricketers, they will manage it themselves. Why should a lawyer be concerned about this?” remarked Justice Oka.
The Supreme Court bench, while hearing the petition filed by the lawyer, noted, “You’ve attached pictures of the grounds. These grounds have produced some of the greatest cricketers. Are you primarily a cricketer or a lawyer?” to which the petitioner responded that he was a lawyer.
The court further observed, “This kind of appeal in a Public Interest Litigation is not what should be brought before the court. You want toilets to be made available to cricketers at various grounds in Mumbai.”
Concluding the hearing, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s decision that the PIL was not maintainable, emphasizing that the issues raised did not warrant judicial intervention and were better handled by the concerned sports bodies themselves.
