Gujarat HC Fines PIL Petitioner ₹1 Lakh for False Claims
Case Title: SATYAJEET PARAS NATH RAI KUMAR v/s STATE OF GUJARAT & ORS.
Case No.: R/WRIT PETITION (PIL) (WRIT PETITION (PIL)) NO. 24 of 2026
Coram: Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice DN Ray
Court Observation
“In view of the categorical assertions made by GPCB that the respondent no.8 has obtained environmental clearance for a captive power plant using waste heat boiler without any auxiliary fuel and in view of Office Memorandum dated 23.01.2019 issued by the Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, the industry is exempted from obtaining prior Environmental Clearance for setting up new or expansion of captive power plant employing waste heat recovery boiler, which cannot be denied without any specific statement made in that regard in the affidavit-in-rejoinder, we do not find any substance in the submissions of the petitioner that the respondent no.8 – industry is being run without requisite permissions and sanctions from the competent authorities.
Further, having noted all assertions made by the petitioner in the writ petition in detail hereinbefore and from the affidavit of GPCB as also the reply submitted by the petitioner in the affidavit-in-rejoinder, it is more than evident that the petitioner herein, who himself is a businessman engaged in manpower supply business, for some reasons best known to him, has targeted the respondent no.8 – industry by making false statements in the writ petition about the said industry being operating without any environmental clearance, proper permission from the competent regulatory authority, being a standalone industry in a residential area, causing air, noise and water pollution in the locality and running its industry/unit against the environmental laws”.
“The allegations of the petitioners against the respondent no.8 in the writ petition in that regard are, thus, found to be incorrect. None of the assertions made in the affidavit of GPCB are specifically denied by the petitioner in rejoinder. However, in reply to the affidavit of GPCB, various other assertions have been made by the petitioner in the affidavit-inrejoinder to explain as to what would mean by the ambient air quality, how an industrial areas are notified, etc.
For the aforesaid, it is more than evident that the present petition has been filed by a person who is none other than a busybody and seemingly for some personal grudges against respondent no.8 with false and misleading assertions made in the writ petition about the respondent no.8 – industry being a standalone industry causing air, noise and water pollution in the vicinity,”
Gujarat HC Slaps ₹1 Lakh Cost on PIL Litigant Over False Environmental Claims Against Industry
