Public interest litigation requires full disclosure of credentials and bona fide public purpose; failure defeats maintainability and abuses process.

Public interest litigation is maintainable only when the petitioner makes full and specific disclosure of credentials, identifies the public cause invoked, and shows absence of personal, private, undue gain, or oblique motive. Rule 1(3A) of Chapter XXII of the Allahabad High Court Rules, 1952 requires such disclosure in the supporting affidavit, and Article 226 jurisdiction is not available where that threshold is not met. On the facts, the petitioner failed to place material showing his credentials and did not establish a bona fide public purpose. The writ petition was therefore treated as a non-genuine PIL and an abuse of the process of the Court.

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Issues: Whether the writ petition, filed as a public interest litigation, was maintainable in view of the petitioner's failure to disclose his credentials and satisfy the requirements for invoking public interest jurisdiction.

Analysis: Public interest litigation must be entertained only when the petitioner shows bona fide credentials, discloses the public cause sought to be espoused, and establishes that no personal or private interest, undue gain, or oblique motive is involved. Rule 1(3A) of Chapter XXII of the Allahabad High Court Rules, 1952 requires such specific disclosure in the supporting affidavit. On the facts, the petitioner did not place before the Court material showing his own credentials, and the petition was not found to be a genuine invocation of the Court's public interest jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India.

Conclusion: The writ petition was not maintainable as a bona fide public interest litigation and was held to be an abuse of the process of the Court.

Ratio Decidendi: A public interest litigation is maintainable only when the petitioner makes full and specific disclosure of credentials and demonstrates bona fide public purpose without personal, private, or oblique motive; failure to satisfy that threshold justifies dismissal.

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