New Delhi, A Delhi court has imposed ₹10,000 cost on a man for filing a “frivolous” petition and underscored the need to prevent “wealthy litigants” from filing “unnecessary litigation” which hamper the justice system.
₹10,000 fine on man for filing ‘frivolous’ plea” title=”Delhi court imposes ₹10,000 fine on man for filing ‘frivolous’ plea” />Additional sessions judge Saurabh Partap Singh Laler was hearing the revision petition of one Kapil Arora against an April 2025 magistrate court order which dismissed his plea for compensation for curtailing his liberty.
Arora was arrested by the Central Goods and Services Tax officials in October 2024 for allegedly evading payment of GST.
He then moved a magisterial court which dismissed his bail plea. Arora then challenged the order rejecting his bail before a sessions court, which granted him bail but imposed several conditions on November 27.
However, in order to satisfy bail conditions before the magistrate as a part of the bail procedure in this case his release was kept in abeyance till the next day till the sureties furnished by him were verified.
The verification report was received by the magistrate on November 28, but Arora could not be released till November 29 due to a clerical error.
The magistrate found no intentional error on the part of the court staff and Arora was released following a warning to a court staffer.
The man, feeling aggrieved, moved an application before the magistrate for affixing responsibility and compensate him for undermining his liberty. The magistrate dismissed his plea following which he challenged that order before Judge Laler.
The judge on June 9 agreed with the magistrate court’s decision and said, “The matter should have ended there, but if the revisionist was under the impression that the same was not unintentional, it could have approached the court administration on the administrative side, but not on the judicial side by way of the present revision petition.”
The court further found no fault with the magistrate when it observed that the accused’s address and surety had to be verified for the alleged crime was serious.
Arora had alleged the CGST officials conducted an unauthorised search and had no evidence to prove that he made ₹1,284 crore in sales between 2018 and 2024 while evading ₹200 crore in GST or ₹2.18 crore recovered from his house and shop were not linked with GST.
Judge Laler said the plea appeared as an effort not only to put pressure on the magisterial court but also on CGST officers.
“I must express this court’s deep concern and disappointment regarding the revisionist’s insidious and cavalier approach in filing this frivolous petition. Liberal access to justice should not be misconstrued as an opportunity to create chaos and indiscipline; such petitions should be met with substantial penalties,” judge Laler said.
The court observed that litigants abusing court procedures ought to face necessary repercussions.
“It is important to prevent wealthy litigants from pursuing unnecessary litigation, as these cases can slow down the justice system and delay trials for other litigants. Courts must ensure that the legal system is not misused to obstruct or delay justice,” the judge said and imposed ₹10,000 cost on Arora.
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