Chandigarh, Aug 7 – The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed a cost of ₹50,000 on a litigant for abusing the judicial process by filing a frivolous contempt petition, calling it a stark example of how forum shopping and baseless litigation clog the administration of justice.
Dismissing the petition, Justice Sudeepti Sharma said the court’s time and resources are finite and must be preserved for genuine grievances that merit judicial intervention. “It is imperative, in the interest of justice, that bona fide and timely claims are adjudicated expeditiously, without being impeded by vexatious and unscrupulous litigation,” she observed in her ruling.
The contempt plea had sought action against the Punjab Chief Secretary and others for allegedly disobeying a Supreme Court ruling related to water supply disconnections. However, Justice Sharma found that the petitioner’s grievance arose from a private civil dispute with a builder, not from any wilful violation of the apex court’s order.
“The petitioner failed to present any cogent material that even prima facie established contempt. It falls entirely outside the scope of contempt jurisdiction,” Justice Sharma held.
She further stated that the petition was part of a “frivolous and vexatious litigation spree,” driven by a misplaced sense of grievance. The conduct, the court added, was not only a gross misuse of the judicial forum but also contributed to the growing backlog of cases.
Justice Sharma pointedly raised concern over increasing misuse of courts by litigants using tactics such as forum shopping, filing repetitive or baseless petitions, and employing deliberate delay strategies. “Such behaviour undermines the very foundation of our legal system,” she said.
Citing the Supreme Court, the High Court recalled that the Indian judicial system was already “grossly afflicted with frivolous litigation,” and there was an urgent need to develop deterrents against “senseless and ill-considered claims.”
“This court is of the considered view that the present petition is a stark example of such abuse. It is, thus, imperative for this court to uphold the sanctity of the judicial process and prevent its pollution by unscrupulous litigants,” the bench added.
The court dismissed the plea with ₹50,000 in costs to be borne by the petitioner, underlining that deterrence is necessary to ensure that judicial forums are not diverted from their core mandate by spurious claims.
