MP HC Imposes ₹10,000 Cost On Petitioner Who Withdrew PIL That Had Stalled Patan-Kanera Dam Project Since 2019

The petitioner challenged proceedings concerning the Patan Kanera irrigation project and sought, among other reliefs, construction of the dam in accordance with the earlier sanctioned layout

The project site had been identified following inspections in 1981 and 2015/2016; administrative approval was granted in 2017, and the work was entrusted to a contractor in 2018

A prior petition was disposed of with directions to make a representation, and the present petition was converted into a PIL in November 2024

On 26 October 2026, the petitioner applied to convert the PIL back into a regular writ petition under Article 226

At the hearing, counsel sought permission to withdraw the petition

The petition was brought under Article 226 of the Constitution, and the Court considered the petitioner’s request to withdraw it within that procedural context

It applies the general principle that the Court may impose costs where proceedings amount to an abuse of the process of law

The Court noted that the project concerned a dam intended to serve a broader public interest and that, in its view, the project had remained stalled since the petition was filed in 2019

It viewed the petitioner’s successive requests—to convert the case into a PIL and later back into a private writ petition—as inconsistent, particularly when the matter was nearing conclusion

Although counsel sought withdrawal and the Court refrained from making stricter observations, it considered a monetary cost appropriate for the abuse of process

The amount was directed to be paid to the M.P. State Legal Aid Services Authority within 30 days, with a compliance report to be submitted to the Registrar (Judicial)