SC calls PIL on packaged drinking water standards ‘luxury litigation’
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) that sought enforcement of international-quality standards for packaged drinking water in India, calling it an example of “luxury litigation” in a country where a large populace lacks access to basic drinking water.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi questioned the relevance of the petition filed by Sarang Vaman Yadwadkar, who wanted Indian bottled-water norms to match those followed in countries such as the UK, Australia and Saudi Arabia, The New Indian Express reported.
“Where is the drinking water in this country, madam? People do not have drinking water; the quality of bottled water will come later on,” Chief Justice Surya Kant, who was sitting with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, said, adding that these are luxury litigations.
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At the outset, the CJI questioned the very premise of the petition, observing that the court could not lose sight of broader realities faced by the country.
Senior advocate Anita Shenoy, appearing for the petitioner, argued that the issue concerned public health and consumer safety. She reportedly said the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 requires packaged drinking water to comply with specific safety norms, and citizens are entitled to clean, safe drinking water.
Suggesting to the petitioner to spare some time for India's to grow further, the bench allegedly said, Let India grow first. Nobody takes up the cause of the poor. This is all urban phobia.
The court also advised her to travel across the country and see the reality. “Mahatma Gandhi, when he returned from South Africa, travelled across rural areas to understand the plight of the people,” TNIE quoted the CJI as saying.
The court ultimately allowed the petitioner to withdraw the PIL, granting liberty to approach the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) or other competent authorities to seek redressal.
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AAP moves to replace Raghav Chadha as Rajya Sabha deputy leader
New Delhi (PTI): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has written to the Rajya Sabha secretariat seeking the removal of its MP Raghav Chadha as the party's deputy leader in the House, and has proposed Punjab MP Ashok Mittal as his replacement, sources said on Thursday.
According to sources, the letter states that Chadha -- who is also a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab -- should not be allotted time for speaking in the House from the AAP's quota.
The move comes amid Chadha's prolonged silence on matters related to the AAP, and his absence from several public events led by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal.
Once considered a close confidant of Kejriwal and among the youngest MPs in the country, Chadha had played a key role in party affairs, particularly in Punjab and during the AAP's tenure in Delhi.
However, things have changed in recent months.
Chadha was abroad for medical reasons when Kejriwal, the then Delhi chief minister, was arrested in connection with the excise policy case in March 2024. He remained away during Kejriwal's nearly six-month incarceration and met him only a few days after his release on September 13, 2024.
More recently, Chadha maintained silence when Kejriwal, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and other AAP leaders were discharged by a Delhi court in the excise case last month. He also missed Kejriwal's press conference and a rally at Jantar Mantar following the court's relief.
Party leaders claimed Chadha has been increasingly sidelined from political campaigns and organisational matters of the party in other states, although he has been vocal inside and outside Parliament, raising issues such as high air fares and the condition of gig workers.
Talking to reporters, Mittal said the party's national convener has entrusted him with the role of AAP's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, and he will discharge his duties sincerely and present both the party's stance and national interests forcefully in the House.
Downplaying the change, he termed it a routine process, noting that earlier N D Gupta was the deputy leader of the party in the Upper House, and then Chadha was given the responsibility.
"Now, I have been given this role. Our party wants all MPs to learn, and probably in that context, I have been given this role so that I can learn the processes and administrative skills in politics," he said, adding that the party remains strong.
The AAP currently has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha, including seven from Punjab and three from Delhi.
