Anbazhagan has no locus standi to file PIL: Govt

CHENNAI: DMK general secretary and former finance minister K Anbazhagan has no locus standi to file the public interest writ petition challenging the appointment of Justice S Thangaraj, a retired judge of the High Court, to enquire into the alleged irregularities in the construction of the new Assembly and Secretariat building at the Omandoorar Government Estate, Chief Secretary Debendranath Sarangi, told the Madras High Court on Wednesday.In his counter-affidavit filed in response to a PIL from Anbazhagan, Sarangi cited a Supreme Court judgment and said that a person could not file a PIL for personal gain or private profit or political motive or any oblique consideration. The judgement had also stated that a petition filed under the colour of PIL for vindicating any personal grievance, deserved rejection at the threshold with exemplary costs.The averments made in the PIL would exemplify that it had been filed solely to redress the political rivalry between the DMK and the AIADMK and to stall the enquiry of the commission and to prevent revelations of the true facts.A perusal of the PIL would divulge and disclose the fact that it had been filed to further the political motive of the petitioner to target and settle scores with certain specific individuals and in this process he had squarely abused and misused the jurisdiction of the court under Article 226 of the Constitution, the Chief Secretary contended and sought to dismiss the PIL with costs.