Consider the passage given below and answer the following question. The locus standi rule has been liberalized and the concept of Public Interest Litigation was introduced by the Hon’ble Supreme Court whereby any public-spirited person can move the court to act for public interest on behalf of the public or any person who is unable to move the court himself/herself due to lack of awareness, poverty, illiteracy etc. This has been a revolution and the strongest instrument in bringing about social change via the instrumentality of law. The judiciary has played an active role in the transformation of the society with the help of Public Interest Litigation. Today, Public Interest Litigation is an ever-expanding universe. Any and everything, from the selection of the cricket team to the construction of a flyover, falls within its domain.

Which was the first reported case on Public Interest Litigation in India?

Hussainara Khatoon v. State of Bihar Keshwananda Bharti v. State of Kerala Vishakha v. State of Rajasthan Unnikrishnan v. State of Andhra Pradesh

Hussainara Khatoon v. State of Bihar

The first ever PIL is listed as Hussainara Khatoon v. State of Bihar and dates back to 1979. A public interest activist lawyer filed this case on behalf of thousands of prisoners of the Bihar jail against the inhuman conditions of the prison. A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice P.N. Bhagwati declared the right for free legal aid and expeditious trial of these prisoners, which ultimately led to their release. Since then, PILs have encompassed several issues including socio-economic rights (freedom from bonded labour), legal entitlements (right to food; right to work), environment issues (clean air and water) and political reforms (disclosure of assets by members of the executive; disbursement of natural resources done by the government).