In a recent development, the Andhra Pradesh High Court asked Praja Shanti Party chief K.A. Paul to deposit 5 lakhs before his Public Interest Litigation (PIL) can be heard.
Paul had filed a PIL seeking a CBI probe into the suspicious death of Pastor Praveen Kumar. The court made it clear that the case would be taken up only after the summer vacation, and only if he deposits the amount.
The bench comprised Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Cheemalapati Ravi.
K.A. Paul argued the case himself. He requested the court to either order a CBI investigation or direct the police to secure CCTV footage. He claimed that the footage was crucial and could be lost if not retrieved soon.
Paul said CCTV recordings are usually deleted after three months. So, any delay could destroy key evidence.
However, the court was not convinced. The judges questioned how Paul was so sure about the CCTV deletion timeline. They also warned him not to make claims without verified facts.
The court said that genuine public interest must come with responsibility. If Paul was serious, depositing 5 lakhs shouldn’t be a problem.
Legal experts believe this step is to discourage publicity-seeking or weak PILs. The court wants to ensure only serious and well-grounded cases are heard.
For now, the case will move forward only if Paul pays the deposit after the court’s summer break.
