NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed five “frivolous” public interest litigations filed by a single lawyer, including one seeking a scientific study on whether onions and garlic contain ‘tamasic’ energy, and asked whether he formulated them in the middle of the night.
“Aadhi raat ko yeh sab petition karte ho kya?” Chief Justice Surya Kant rebuked advocate Sachin Gupta, calling the political impeachment laws “vague, frivolous and baseless.”
The bench, which also included Justice Joymalia Bagchi, suspended the lawyer for filing a series of impeachment papers.
One of the petitions sought directions to form a committee to look into what constitutes “tamasic” or negative content in onions and garlic.
The petition cited the dietary practices of the Jain community, which traditionally avoid onions, garlic and root vegetables, considering them as “Tamasic” food.
“Why do you want to hurt the sentiments of the Jain community?” asked CJI Gupta who appeared in person.
The petitioner responded by saying that it was a common issue and claimed that divorce had taken place in Gujarat due to the use of onions in food.
Expressing his strong displeasure, the CJI said: “Next time you file this kind of frivolous petition, you will see what we will do.”
The court also rejected four other PILs brought by Gupta: one sought directions to regulate alleged harmful content in alcohol and tobacco products, another sought directions to ensure mandatory registration of properties, while another sought guidelines on declaration of classical languages.
The court said that the prayers contained in the petitions were vague and lacked a sound legal basis.
“This petition is another example of the failure to apply reason. The prayers are vague and baseless,” the council said, adding that the petitions reflect poor wording.
The CJI said he would have imposed exemplary costs on the petitioner had he not been a lawyer.
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