Prayagraj, Mar 17 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court on Monday dismissed a PIL seeking a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities during the recently-concluded Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.
"Seeking an inquiry when the event is already over appears to be an exercise in futility," a bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra noted while dismissing the petition filed by Keshar Singh and two others.
The petitioners alleged that the administration failed to discharge its duties during the Maha Kumbh, and released poor quality water in the Kumbh area.
It also alleged that the pontoon bridges built in Prayagraj for the event were not of good quality, while the devotees faced difficulties in taking the holy dip in the Sangam due to poor crowd management.
The petitioners also sought details of the amount spent and income generated from the Maha Kumbh.
Submitting that the petition was not maintainable, the counsel appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government said cuttings of various newspaper reports have been produced to level allegations without conducting any research or making any effort to find out the facts.
The court observed that the Supreme Court has repeatedly said that a public interest litigation cannot be based on newspaper reports or reports in magazines, as the facts contained in them are only hearsay.
"The plea seeking an inquiry when the event is already over appears to be an exercise in futility. If the petitioners were really concerned about the difficulties being faced by the devotees during the 45-day event, they could have approached the authorities or taken recourse to other remedies for obviating their grievances, which was apparently not done," the bench noted, as it quashed the plea.
