Write a short note on Public Interest Litigation and its usage on early years.
Public Interest Litigation (PIL) is a mechanism devised by the Supreme Court of India in the early 1980s to increase access to justice.
Under this mechanism any individual or organisation is allowed to file a PIL in the High Court or the Supreme Court on behalf of those whose rights are being violated. The legal process that it involves is very simple. Even a letter or telegram addressed to the Supreme Court or the High Court can be treated as a PIL.
In the early years, PIL was used to secure justice on a large number of issues such as rescuing bonded labourers from inhuman work conditions; and securing the release of prisoners in Bihar who had been kept in jail even after their punishment term was complete.