JUDGMENT

S.B. Sinha, J.-The appellant herein was respondent No. 8 in one of the public interest litigations being No. 6240 of 1997 which was disposed of along with another public interest litigation being No. 5717 of 1997 and Contempt Case No. 779 of 1997.

2. The appellant herein has not questioned the correctness or otherwise of the impugned judgment dated 6th July, 1998 passed by a Division Bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in the aforementioned matters but only is concerned with certain observations made therein as also imposition of a sum of Rs. 20,000/- by way of costs. These two public interest litigations were filed successively by one B. Kistaiah, said to be a former Member of Legislative Assembly and the Writ Petition No. 6240 of 1997 by Digumarthi Premchand, said to be a journalist. In the said purported public interest litigations alleged malfunctioning of the Commissioner of Central Excise resulting in loss of several crores of rupees as also purported dismantling of the Special Investigating Team headed by the appellant herein were in question.

3. The writ petitioners contended that the said Special Investigation Team was dismantled by the Commissioner-I Central Ex