Madras HC quashes 'frivolous petition', fines petitioner Rs 1.5L

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has come down heavily against frivolous petitions and fined a petitioner Rs 1.5 lakh, who wanted the orders issued by the government pertaining to Covid-19 restrictions, as "unconstitutional, null and void".

Sixty-three-year-old M. Thavamani had petitioned the court seeking to pay him a compensation of Rs 5 lakh, saying that the lockdown had infringed upon his fundamental rights and affected him financially.

The court rejected the petition and said that it was not maintainable.

The division bench of the Madras High Court comprising Justices S. Vaidyanathan and G. Jayachandran observed that the attitude of persons like Thavamani was detrimental to the selfless service rendered by doctors, health workers and other Corona Warriors who have lost their lives during the course of the pandemic.

In his petition, Thavamani said that Covid-19 and its variants were not deadly diseases and curable in due course if the state health department, doctors and health professionals were more vigilant and had provided proper medical care to the people.

The Madras High Court Judges said: "Unless 'busybody' like the petitioners were punished for their senseless activity and approached the court with frivolous petitions, this court fears that the sacrifices of selfless people will go in vain."

The judges observed that the petitioner was mocking the sincere efforts taken by the state to curb the pandemic and was condemning the preventive measures taken by the Central and state governments to stop the spread of the infection.

The Madurai bench directed the petitioner to pay a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh to the credit of the Covid-19 ward at the Government Rajaji hospital, Madurai, within 15 days of the judgment and if he fails to pay the fine within the stipulated time, the Madurai District Collector can evoke the Revenue Recovery Act, 1890, and collect money from the petitioner.

The Court came down heavily on the petitioner and said that he had approached the court for the sake of publicity and was trying to waste the precious time of the court.