“It can hardly be expected of the High Court, no less, to look into matters pertaining to ingress and egress at every bus stand all over the State”. the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court observed, dismissing a petition that sought a direction to authorities to restore passenger rolling gates at Karaikudi bus stand in Sivaganga district.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice R. Hemalatha said the present trend, whether borne out of political ambitions or professional reasons, to approach the High Court on issues such as encroachment in the tiniest part of a remote village or access to a bus terminus or bus timings at a particular stop added to pendency of matters and impeded the court’s function.
As a consequence, matters of larger public interest that required the court’s attention might get neglected. More often than not, persons with an axe to grind complained of matters and gave a public interest twist to the same, the judges observed.
It was unfortunate that a degree of restraint that ought to be exercised at the Bar and the filter that ought to be carried out by it might have been lost or surrendered its efficacy.
Local authorities, particularly, the Transport Department, should be approached and if there was a matter of any great public importance affecting the larger section of society, the High Court might be approached.
The petition was not entertained as it did not involve any matter of great significance or large public interest. Nothing in this order would prevent persons affected from making a representation to the appropriate authorities, the judges said and dismissed the petition filed by SPD. Karuppaiah.
