Who was the Chief Justice of India when public interest litigation (PIL) was introduced to the Indian judicial system?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → P.N. Bhagwati
Public interest litigation (PIL) lets any public-spirited person or group approach the court on behalf of people who cannot do so themselves, such as prisoners, bonded labourers or the very poor. The Supreme Court relaxed the old rule that only the affected person could file a case (the rule of locus standi), and even accepted letters and newspaper reports as petitions.
This change was led by Justice P.N. Bhagwati, together with Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, in cases from the late 1970s and early 1980s, such as S.P. Gupta v. Union of India (1981). Bhagwati is therefore called the father of PIL in India, and he served as Chief Justice of India from July 1985 to December 1986.
Note: It seems that there is a mistake in the original NTA question. When PIL took shape (about 1979–1981), Justice Bhagwati was a judge of the Supreme Court, not yet the Chief Justice; the Chief Justice of India then was Y.V. Chandrachud, who is not among the options. Option (3) is still the most appropriate answer, because Bhagwati is the judge credited with introducing PIL.