The Supreme Court has stayed the order of the Uttarakhand High Court imposing a fine of one lakh rupees for filing a criminal writ petition with the wrong intention. Also, the apex court has also issued notice to the Uttarakhand government and other defendants in this case.
A bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Justice BR Gavai, and Justice Krishna Murari has sought a reply from the defendants in four weeks on a petition challenging the High Court order by Jajwinder Singh and others.
The bench asked the petitioners to give a copy of the petition to the state standing council. Also, the order issued by the High Court on August 19 will not take effect until the next date of hearing.
In fact, the High Court had found that the petitioner had earlier filed a writ petition in which he sought relief in the same way. The High Court had said that the petitioner again filed a similar petition knowing that the writ petition filed earlier for equal relief had been settled.
The High Court imposed a fine of Rs one lakh on the petitioner, terming it as misuse of the writ petition and mocking the legal process. The court said that the petitioner had to come to the court with good intentions. The High Court had asked to pay the fine in two months to the Uttarakhand Legal Services Authority.