'These Are Self Employment Generating Petitions': Solicitor General On PILs In SC Amid Lockdown

The Supreme Court today took up several Public Interest Litigations ranging from pleas for protection and safety of nurses & healthcare staff, sanitation workers as well as for payment of wages to migrant workers who have been left without work due to the nationwide lockdown, among other matters.

When a plea filed by Swami Agnivesh which had sought immediate relief to be provided to the poor during the Coronavirus crisis came up for hearing, Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves who appeared for Swami Agnivesh submitted that the lockdown had created a huge crisis and that there was no real groundwork being done as against what the Solicitor General was claiming.

The Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta expressed concern over the rationale of the said petition.

"I have serious reservations regarding this particular petition. These are self employment generating petitions .This Court should not entertain such petitions. I have severe problems regarding the kind of petitions that are landing before the Court during these times", Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said.

The Centre had also strongly opposed petitions filed by activists for payment of wages to migrant workers who have been left without work due to the 21-day nationwide lockdown in view of coronavirus pandemic.

On April 3, while hearing a PIL filed by Harsh Mander on the plight of migrant workers, the Solicitor General had stated that "PIL Shops must close down till the country emerges out of this crisis"

Before a bench of Justices L Nagewara Rao & Deepak Gupta, the Solicitor General had stated "Preparing PILs without any ground level information or knowledge while sitting in an air-conditioned office was not 'public service'".