Judgment-

MISRA

( 1 ) THE present connected appeals and the special leave petition to appeal are sequel to a public interest litigation and are directed against the judgment of the High Court of Bombay dated 14/11/1983 allowing a petition under Article 226 of the Constitution.

( 2 ) PUBLIC interest litigation is a comparatively recent concept of litigation but it occupies an important status in the new regime of public law in different legal systems. By its very nature the concept of public interest litigation is radically different from that of traditional private litigation. Ordinary traditional litigation is essentially of an adversary character where there is a dispute between the two litigating parties, one making the claim or seeking relief against the other and the other opposing such claim or resisting such relief. While public interest litigation is brought before the court not for the purpose of enforcing the right of one individual against another, as happens in the case of ordinary litigation, it is intended to prosecute and vindicate public interest which demands that violation of constitutional or legal rights of a large number of people, who are poor, ignorant or socia