Kamal Ghorui
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a Ludhiana-based cloth trader after he admitted using artificial intelligence tools to draft the petition and could not explain complex legal terms used in it. According to news agency PTI, the exchange took place before a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and R Mahadevan. The bench became suspicious when the petitioner, Rajnish Sidhu — a hosiery trader who said he had studied up to Class 12 — began reading from a written text while arguing his plea related to the PM CARES Fund. When asked about his background, Sidhu said he had not filed any petition in the past and had come directly to the apex court with his first plea. Responding sarcastically, the Chief Justice said, “‘Bada bahaduri ka kaam kiya, seedha Ludhiana se chalke aagaye’ (Very brave of you to come straight from Ludhiana to the Supreme Court).” He also warned the petitioner against filing such cases through others, saying, “Jaao, Ludhiana mein 2-3 aur sweater becho… Jin logo ka kaam hai aisi petition file karna, woh nuksaan kardengay apka costs lagwa ke’ (Go and sell 2-3 more sweaters in Ludhiana… If you continue filing such petitions through others, they will end up having costs imposed upon you).” During the hearing, the CJI said he would test whether Sidhu had actually drafted the petition himself. “I will take your English exam right here,” he said, adding, “If you manage to score even 30 per cent, I will believe you drafted this plea.” The moment of truth came when the bench asked Sidhu to explain “Fiduciary Risk of Corporate Donors”, a term used in the PIL. Sidhu was unable to define it and attempted to read from his notes. “Mr Sidhu, this has been written and given to you by some advocate. You are just reading the script,” the Chief Justice interjected, warning that he could order an investigation by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. The petitioner then said that a typist working on the Supreme Court premises had initially helped him draft the petition. “The typist was very helpful. I gifted him four jackets. He was asking for Rs 1,000 per hour,” Sidhu said, adding, “But I have not used his petition and drafted my own.” He later admitted that he had used three to four artificial intelligence tools to prepare the plea because he could not afford a lawyer. The bench dismissed the PIL and warned that any such attempt in the future would invite penal and financial consequences. On Monday, the CJI-led bench had also dismissed five “frivolous” PILs filed by a lawyer, including one seeking a scientific study on whether onion and garlic contained “tamasic” (negative) energy, and questioned if they had been drafted in the middle of the night.(With inputs from PTI)
