The concept of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) originated in:

The concept of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) originated in the United States in the 1960s, where lawyers and groups used litigation to protect the rights of the poor, minorities and the public at large.

Meaning of PIL:

• Public Interest Litigation is litigation filed in a court of law for the protection of public interest.
• It can be filed by any public-spirited person or organisation on behalf of people who cannot approach the court themselves, because of poverty, ignorance or disability.
• It relaxes the traditional rule of locus standi, which required that only the person whose rights were violated could approach the court.

PIL in India:

In India, PIL was developed by the Supreme Court in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Justice P.N. Bhagwati and Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer are regarded as the pioneers of PIL in India.

Courts began to accept even letters and postcards as writ petitions, a practice called "epistolary jurisdiction".

Important early PIL cases:

Hussainara Khatoon v. State of Bihar (1979): about undertrial prisoners kept in jail for long periods, which led to the release of thousands of prisoners and the recognition of the right to a speedy trial.

S.P. Gupta v. Union of India (1981): known as the First Judges Case, in which the Court accepted that any member of the public with sufficient interest can approach the court.

Bandhua Mukti Morcha v. Union of India (1984): about bonded labourers.

M.C. Mehta cases: about environmental pollution, such as the Ganga pollution case and the Delhi vehicular pollution case.

Where PIL can be filed:

• In the Supreme Court under Article 32.
• In High Courts under Article 226.

Importance:

PIL has made the judiciary more accessible and has helped protect the rights of disadvantaged groups.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The concept did not originate in the United Kingdom, Australia or India, although India developed it extensively.