'Petition Like A Shopping Mall' : Supreme Court Rejects Omnibus PIL Seeking Directions To Curb Negligence By Authorities

The Supreme Court today refused to entertain a petition seeking omnibus directions to prevent deaths due to negligence by public authorities. The bench remarked that the PIL was of a wide nature and directions sought would not be manageable to implement.

The bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing the petition seeking directions to the Union and State governments to create SOPs for preventing deaths due to negligence caused by the State authorities, which included instances like unsafe infrastructure/ incomplete constructions, electrocution from poor wiring, etc.

The Advocate for the petitioners stressed that, despite making representations to the authorities, no concrete steps were taken. She stressed the need to have mechanisms accounting for such deaths

The CJI pointed out that the present plea seemed a complete replica of the earlier plea seeking similar reliefs.

The CJI also added that each state is facing different financial obstacles, and a uniform SOP would not be a practical solution.

"Every state will have a very different kind of pressure, every state has a different kind of financial restraints....some states are borrowing and paying salaries to the staff, dues, recruitments have been barely made in the past...all the states, the moment you will ask for uniform SOPs, they will say they do not have money."

The counsel stressed various broad issues, such as custodial death, bridge collapse, etc.

The CJI, considering the multiple reliefs sought, remarked, " Your petition is as good as a showroom or a shopping mall, right from a pothole, to a police building, non-completion of bridges, underpasses, everything available there. You name any relief you won't have? Everything is mentioned here."

While dismissing the petition, the bench recorded, " It is impossible to issue directions which will be completely unmanageable until and unless the issues raised are specific to a particular state...we therefore declined to entertain this writ petition, leaving it open for the petitioners to approach the Jurisdictional High Court along with appropriately drafted pleas. We clarify that we are not commenting on merits."

Case Details : JANSHRUTI (PEOPLES VOICE) Versus UNION OF INDIA AND ORS| W.P.(C) No. 284/2026