Allahabad High Court
SURYA NATH RAMversusSTATE OF U.P. AND 3 OTHERS
- Decided
Holding
A petition filed by a directly aggrieved individual cannot be entertained as a public interest litigation.
Summary
The petitioner, Surya Nath Ram, filed a public interest litigation challenging actions of the State of U.P. and others, alleging violation of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. The Court observed that the petitioner’s own personal grievance formed the basis of the petition, rendering the claim a private dispute rather than a genuine public interest matter. It held that a PIL cannot be entertained when the petitioner is directly aggrieved and is using the petition to further personal interests. Consequently, the Court dismissed the petition, directing the petitioner to pursue appropriate legal remedies in his own capacity. No substantive examination of the alleged statutory violation was undertaken.
Issues considered
- Whether a petition filed by a person who is personally aggrieved can be treated as a public interest litigation
- Whether the alleged actions of the respondents violate the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Legislation cited
Subjects
- public interest litigation
- standing
- private grievance
- land acquisition
- Right to Fair Compensation
- Allahabad High Court
Judgment
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD
PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION (PIL) No. - 1215 of 2026
Surya Nath Ram
.....Petitioner(s)
Versus
State of U.P. and 3 others
.....Respondent(s)
Counsel for Petitioner(s) : Kirtikar Pande
Counsel for Respondent(s) : Meenakshi Singh (A.C.S.C.)
Chief Justice's Court
HON'BLE ARUN BHANSALI, CHIEF JUSTICE
HON'BLE KSHITIJ SHAILENDRA, J.
1. This petition, purportedly in public interest, has been filed by the
petitioner seeking to question the action of the respondents and alleging
that the same is in violation of the provisions of the Right to Fair
Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and
Resettlement Act, 2013.
2. A perusal of the petition indicates that petitioner himself is aggrieved
by the action in question and has taken the cause himself to allege that the
entire village is getting affected by the alleged wrongdoing on part of the
respondents, by converting personal grievance into a public interest
litigation.
3. Once, admittedly, the petitioner's own interest is involved in the
petition, filing of PIL for the same, cannot be countenanced.
4. The petition is therefore, dismissed, leaving it open for the petitioner to
take appropriate proceedings in accordance with law.
(Kshitij Shailendra, J) (Arun Bhansali, CJ)
May 7, 2026
AHA/Jyotsana
Digitally signed by :-
AFZAL HUSAIN ABBASI
High Court of Judicature at Allahabad
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