Punjab and Haryana High Court imposes Rs 50,000 costs for abuse of court process, highlights need to curb frivolous petitions

Making it clear that forum shopping, repetitive and meritless petitions, besides dilatory tactics by litigants clog the administration of justice and undermine the foundation of the legal system, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed Rs 50,000 costs for abuse of court process. The ruling came as Justice Sudeepti Sharma dismissed a contempt petition arising out of a private civil.

“The time and resources of the court are finite and must be preserved for genuine grievances deserving of judicial intervention,” Justice Sharma asserted. The bench was hearing a hearing a petition seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against Punjab Chief Secretary and others for alleged wilful disobedience of a Supreme Court judgment against the disconnection of water supply.

Justice Sharma asserted the petition’s careful examination made it apparent that the petitioner’s grievance stemmed from a private civil dispute between him and private builders. He had not placed any cogent material on record to establish even a prima facie case of wilful disobedience or violation of the Supreme Court judgment. It fell outside the purview of contempt jurisdiction.

Justice Sharma added it was evident that the petitioner had engaged in “what could only be described as a frivolous and vexatious litigation spree”. It was seemingly driven by a misplaced sense of grievance and such conduct constituted gross abuse of the judicial process and contributed significantly to the burgeoning pendency of cases before the high court.

“The tendency of litigants to misuse the judicial forum by engaging in forum shopping, filing repetitive and meritless petitions, and adopting dilatory tactics undermines the very foundation of our legal system and clogs the administration of justice,” Justice Sharma added.

Referring to the petitioner’s conduct in instituting frivolous litigation, Justice Sharma observed it resulted in a gross misuse of the judicial process, thereby squandering the court’s valuable time and resources. “It is imperative, in the interest of justice, that bona fide and timely claims are adjudicated expeditiously,

 without being impeded by vexatious and unscrupulous litigation,” the court added.

Justice Sharma also quoted the Supreme Court as saying the Indian judicial system was grossly afflicted with frivolous litigation. As such, ways and means were required to be evolved to deter litigants from their compulsive obsession towards senseless and ill-considered claims.   

“This court is of the considered view that the present petition is a stark example of such abuse. It is, thus, imperative for this court to uphold the sanctity of the judicial process and prevent its pollution by unscrupulous litigants,” Justice Sharma added, while dismissing the plea with costs.