Q. PIL is boon to the downtrodden people of the society. Discuss with the help of various judgments specifically for women and environment

PIL is boon to the downtrodden people of the society. Discuss with the help of various judgments specifically for women and environment

PIL or Public Interest Litigation is a potent tool to protect the fundamental liberties of the citizens, particularly the most vulnerable and underprivileged sections of the society who are not able to approach the courts for the redressal of their grievances. This is because the PIL is filed by any public spirited individual or organization on behalf of the aggrieved party who cannot approach the courts on their own. PIL has been used to protect the rights and interests of women, environment and other downtrodden people of the society. 

Various judgments of the Supreme Court of India have significantly enhanced the scope of PIL as it has been used to protect the rights of women and environment. In the case of Vishaka and others vs State of Rajasthan, the Supreme Court declared ‘Sexual Harassment of Working Women at Workplace’ as a crime and laid down guidelines to be followed by the employers at the workplace. This judgment was widely hailed as a landmark judgment as it acknowledged the right of women to a safe workplace and made the employers accountable for providing a secure environment to the female employees.

In the case of Subhash Kumar vs State of Bihar, the Supreme Court, for the first time, invoked the principles of PIL to protect the environment and set a milestone by laying down the principles of ‘Polluter Pays’ and ‘Sustainable Development’. This judgment was a major breakthrough in environmental jurisprudence and set a precedent for the protection of environment in India.

In the case of Narmada Bachao Andolan vs Union of India, the Supreme Court ordered the setting up of a Tribunal to look into the grievances of the people affected by the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the river Narmada. This judgment was a major victory for the human rights of the people affected by the dam as it was a classic example of the use of PIL to protect the rights of the people belonging to the weaker section of the society.

Thus, it can be concluded that PIL is an important tool to protect the rights of the downtrodden people of the society and has been used to protect the rights of women and environment in particular.