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2025 DAILYLAW 127592 (ALL)

Devendra Kumar Soni v. STATE OF U.P. THRU SECY. HORTICULTURE LUCKNOW AND ORS.

WPIL/224/2025 · 2025-03-21

Arun Bhansali, Jaspreet Singh

Public Interest Litigationbody2025

Judgment text

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Neutral Citation No. - 2025:AHC-LKO:16398-DB Chief Justice's Court Case :- PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION (PIL) No. - 224 of 2025 Petitioner :- Devendra Kumar Soni Respondent :- State of U.P. thru Secy. Horticulture Lucknow and others Counsel for Petitioner :- Zahir Ahmad Khan Counsel for Respondent :- Akash Sinha, S.C.,Ashok Kumar Verma Hon'ble Arun Bhansali,Chief Justice Hon'ble Jaspreet Singh,J. 1. This petition purportedly in public interest has been filed by the petitioner seeking a direction to the opposite parties to remove illegal brick kiln namely, Shan Brick Field situated at village - Miyanganj, Pargana - Inhauna, Tehsil - Tiloi, District - Amethi. 2. Vehement submission has been made seeking to allege pollution being created by the said brick kiln and that the brick kiln is functioning contrary to the prescribed norms and without seeking any permission under the law. 3. Learned counsel appearing for the U.P. Pollution Control Board has produced the consent to operate dated 06.02.2025 issued in favour of the said brick kiln and on instructions indicates that the first such consent was granted on 25.09.2020. 4. Further submission has been made that in case the petitioner is aggrieved, he has a remedy of questioning the validity of the grant under Section 31 of Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981('the Act'). He also submits that the purported offending brick kiln, has not been impleaded as party. 5. Learned counsel for the petitioner relies on order of this Court in Sumit Singh v. State of U.P. & others : 2014(6) AWC 5791. 6. We have considered the submissions made by counsel for the parties and perused the material available on record. 7. The petition has been filed with the allegation that the brick kiln was being operated without requisite permission under the law, which allegation is factually incorrect in terms of consent to operate produced by counsel for the Pollution Control Board. Once the brick kiln in question is operating under a valid consent to operate, and the petitioner has any grievance qua grant of consent to operate, the same needs to be challenged in accordance with law i.e. under Section 31 of the Act. 8. The present Public Interest Litigation with incorrect facts and without impleading the purported offending brick kiln cannot be entertained. 9. The petition is, therefore, dismissed leaving it open to the petitioner to take appropriate proceedings in accordance with law. Order Date :- 21.3.2025 nd (Jaspreet Singh, J) (Arun Bhansali, CJ) Digitally signed by :- NISITH DEY High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, Lucknow Bench