HC fines six 50k for filing petition in ‘pvt interest’

Cuttack: The Orissa high court has imposed a penalty of Rs 50,000 on six persons for filing a petition “for private interest in the guise of public interest litigation”. The petitioners — all residents of Bauligarh in Angul district — had challenged construction of a water supply project on gochar (grazing) land in their area.The two-judge bench of acting chief justice BR Sarangi and Justice MS Raman, while directing the petitioners to pay Rs 50,000 within seven days to the Orissa High Court Bar Association Advocates’ Welfare Fund on Wednesday, observed that by filing “such type of frivolous petition”, the petitioners had wasted the valuable time of the court.While dismissing the petition, the bench said: “After going through the record, this court is of the view that if gochar land is utilised for the benefit of the public by making mega water supply project, that cannot be stated that it has been utilized without any valid reason. Further, the land in question is not being used for the purpose of construction of house plots or other purposes, rather the mega water supply project is going to be utilised for the benefit of the community at large and the general public.”The bench also said: “Nothing is placed on record by the petitioners whether the land, where the mega water supply project is being constructed, has been converted to non-gochar land or not and as to how the provision of law has been violated. Merely because it has been alleged in the petition that the construction is undertaken over gochar land, that cannot be entertained by this court without any substantiation of fact on record in support of their case.” The bench added, “The petitioners have not made out a case in their favour. Many frivolous public interest litigations have been filed on different considerations and the present is one of such kind.” Questioning the maintainability of the petition, additional government advocate Jyoti Prakash Patnaik said: “Merely because they have filed a representation challenging construction of mega water supply project, that itself cannot be treated as a public interest litigation, rather it is a private interest litigation filed in the guise of public interest litigation.”

Aaditya Thackeray opens Delisle bridge, says public has been suffering

Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray, along with other party members and activists, opened the second carriageway of Delisle bridge in Lower Parel on the eve of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's death anniversary. Thackeray expressed frustration with the delay in opening the bridge and stated that if it is not opened soon, the citizens will have to take action. The bridge was closed in 2018 due to safety concerns and has faced several delays in its reopening.

Petition seeking enforcement of pilots' work-rest rules in flying schools filed in Delhi HC

The owner of a flying training institute has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court, seeking the proper implementation of pilot work-rest rules by flying training organizations. The petition argues that enforcing rest norms would prevent accidents caused by fatigued instructors. Currently, flight training organizations do not adhere to these norms, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ignored the requirements. The petitioner is requesting that the DGCA ensure compliance with duty periods, maximum flight times, minimum rest periods, and weekly rest.

AMU VC selection row: Petition in Allahabad high court against inclusion of acting VC's wife

A professor from Jamia Millia Islamia University has filed a petition against the selection process for the vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). The controversy arose when the acting VC's wife was included in the list of shortlisted candidates. An AMU professor had written a letter alleging that the selection process was not followed correctly. The court has scheduled a hearing for November 16. If elected, the acting VC's wife would become the first woman to be the VC in AMU's history.

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