The Gujarat High Court on Thursday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking disclosure of alleged archaeological findings related to Buddhism beneath the Somnath Temple and imposed a cost of ₹2 lakh on the petitioner.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice D.N. Ray held that the petition was based on “incorrect, misleading and distorted facts” and observed that such petitions erode the credibility of genuine public interest litigation.
The PIL was filed by Maharashtra resident Vilas Tukaram Kharat, who identified himself as a Marathi scholar, a Buddhist and a founder-member of the NGO Sanatan Dhamm. He had sought directions to make public the findings of an alleged scientific survey conducted by IIT Gandhinagar and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), claiming that the findings had been reported in print and social media.
The High Court noted that the petitioner failed to produce any authentic documents or credible material to substantiate the claims made in the petition. It observed that the assertions were neither based on the petitioner’s personal knowledge nor supported by reliable evidence.
Opposing the plea, the Gujarat government argued that the petition sought to drag the Somnath Trust into an unnecessary controversy without any factual basis.
Accepting the state’s submissions, the court held that the PIL contained incorrect, incomplete and misleading facts. Describing the petitioner as an “unscrupulous litigant,” the bench dismissed the petition and imposed exemplary costs of ₹2 lakh.