New Delhi: The Supreme Court has quashed the
CBI inquiry and contempt proceedings initiated by the Madhya
Pradesh High Court against the State Electricity Board/
regulatory commission officials and said courts have no
business to run the government.
A Bench of Justices Harjit Singh Bedi and K S
Radhakrishnan held that it was beyond the jurisdiction of
courts to decide in PILs on issues like supply of electricity
as it was in the domain of independent state agencies.
The apex court said power shortage was a national
phenomena and the state agencies cannot be held accountable
and punished for the purpose.
"We must emphasise once again that a public interest
litigation is to be invoked sparingly and with rectitude and
any order made in this situation must be reasonable and must
not reflect the pique of the court, more particularly as it is
not the courts` business to attempt to run the government in a
manner which the court thinks is the proper way," the apex
court said.
The apex court passed the order while allowing a special
leave petition filed by certain aggrieved officers of Madhya
Pradesh State Electricity Board challenging the contempt
proceedings and directions for a CBI inquiry ordered by the
High Court on April 1, 2003 in a PIL which complained of
unscheduled load shedding.
PTI
