Supreme Court Tears Into ‘Tamasic Onion, Garlic’ Pil, Warns Lawyer
Bench led by CJI Surya Kant pulls up lawyer for vague and baseless petitions
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed five public interest litigations (PILs) filed by advocate Sachin Gupta, terming them “frivolous, vague and baseless”.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi pulled up the lawyer for filing multiple PILs, including one seeking a scientific study on whether onion and garlic contain “tamasic” (negative) energy.
“Aadhi raat ko yeh sab petition draft karte ho kya? (Do you draft all these petitions in the middle of the night?)” Chief Justice Surya Kant asked the petitioner while criticising the nature of the pleas.
The petition referred to dietary practices of the Jain community, which traditionally avoids onion, garlic and root vegetables, describing them as “tamasic” food.
Questioning the intent of the plea, the court asked the petitioner why he wanted to hurt the sentiments of the Jain community.
Responding to the court, Gupta said the issue was of wider concern and claimed that a divorce had allegedly taken place in Gujarat over the use of onions in food.
The bench expressed strong displeasure and warned the petitioner against filing similar pleas in the future. “Next time you come up with this kind of frivolous petition, you will see what we will do,” the Chief Justice said.
The court also dismissed four other PILs filed by Gupta. One sought directions to regulate allegedly harmful content in alcohol and tobacco products, another sought directions to ensure mandatory registration of properties, while another petition sought guidelines on the declaration of classical languages.
“This petition is another example of non-application of the mind. The prayers are vague and baseless,” the court observed.
The Chief Justice said the court would have imposed exemplary costs on the petitioner had he not been a lawyer.
