'Personal Grudge Can't Be Settled In PILs': Allahabad High Court Imposes Cost On Petitioner Seeking Action On SIT Report On Criminal Activities Of Gangster Vikas Dubey

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Yadav and Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi observed that the plea is an attempt of the Petitioner have his personal grievance redressed through a mode of public interest litigation.

"Evidently the petition is nomenclatured as Public Interest Litigation, however on going through entire pleadings it appears that the petitioner has approached this Court to have his personal grievance redressed through a mode of public interest litigation," the Court said.

It added, while imposing cost of Rs. 25,000 on the petitioner, that personal grudge has to be settled in accordance with law before appropriate forum and not through a litigation depicting to be a public interest.

"In view whereof, we are not inclined to cause any indulgence in the matter. As the present petition is not a genuine public interest litigation, therefore it is dismissed with cost of Rs.25,000/-," the Court ordered.

Dubey was killed in an encounter in the morning of July 10, 2020, when a police vehicle carrying him from Ujjain to Kanpur met with an accident and he tried to escape from the spot in Bhauti area, the police had said. Prior to Dubey's encounter, five of his alleged associated were killed in separate encounters.

Subsequently, the UP Government formed a SIT lead by Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Bhoosreddy, to investigate the criminal activities carried out by gangster Vikas Dubey and the steps taken by the authorities to bring him to books in accordance with law.

The SIT recommended action against 90 Government officials who aided Dubey in his alleged illegal activities.

Meanwhile, a three-member inquiry commission headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice (Retd) B S Chauhan gave clean chit to the Uttar Pradesh police in April this year.

In August last year, the Supreme Court had dismissed a plea for disbanding of the Inquiry Commission on allegations of bias.

Case Title: Saurabh Bhadauria v. Stat of UP & Ors.

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