M.C. Mehta v. Union of India
AIR 1987 SC 1086: (1987) 1 ACC 157: (1987) 1 SCC 395
JUDGES: P.N. Bhagwati, Ranganath Misra, G.L. Oza and M.M. Dutt and K.N. Singh, JJ.
Date of Decision: 20-12-1986
FACTS
In Bandhua Mukti Morcha v. Union of India, AIR 1984 SC 802 some of judges of Supreme Court apprehended that letters addressed to individual justices may involve the court in frivolous cases and that possibility view could be taken that such letters do not invoke the jurisdiction of the court as a whole, observed that such letters should not be addressed to individual justices of the court but to the court or to the Chief
Justice and his companion judges.
ISSUE
Whether a letter to an individual judge can be treated as a writ petition.
Held
It was held that it was not right to reject a letter addressed to an individual justice of the court on the ground that it is not addressed to the court or to the Chief Justice and his companion judges.
It was further held that the court must not forget that letters would ordinarily be addressed by poor and disadvantaged persons or by social action groups who might not know the proper form of address, they know only particular judge who comes from their State and might address to him.
