This Delhi HC judge has ordered a party to deposit costs with Friendicoes

The Delhi High Court’s Justice Valmiki Mehta this week passed an order directing a petitioner to deposit costs with Delhi-based animal rescue organisation Friendicoes..A writ petition filed by Central Bank Retirees Grievances Cell came to be heard by the single judge bench on January 10. The petitioner trust sought directions from the court to all public sector banks that in case an employee is removed from service, his outstanding leave should be allowed to be encashed and be paid along with interest..Dismissing the petition, Justice Mehta reiterated that public interest litigations do not lie in service matters..“Since the petitioner is not a living person and is only an NGO, rights of such an NGO are different from the rights of an individual person, and rights of an individual person as per service matters law can only be enforced by such individual persons.”.Describing the petition as “wholly misconceived”, the judge went on to impose costs of Rs. 20,000 on the petitioner, to be deposited with Friendicoes within ten days..With this order, Justice Mehta finds himself in the league of former Supreme Court judge KS Radhakrishnan J, who was awarded PETA’s Man of the Year for his 2014 judgment on the practice of Jallikattu..Read the order: