The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed against Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, following his controversial statement that ‘organizations are bigger than governments’.
Case Overview:
The court deemed the PIL baseless and made its decision without hearing arguments from the government or Deputy Chief Minister Maurya.
The PIL, submitted by lawyer Manjesh Kumar Yadav, challenged Maurya’s remarks, made on 14 July, asserting that organizations hold more significance than government entities.
Yadav’s petition also referenced criminal cases filed against Maurya, questioning the appropriateness of his holding a constitutional position given his alleged criminal history.
Chief Justice Arun Bhansali & Justice Vikas Wednesday of the division bench reviewed the constitutional implications of Maurya’s statement.
Despite appearances by Additional Advocate General M C Chaturvedi and A K Goyal, representing the government, the court neither solicited the government’s views nor issued a notice to Maurya.
Instead, it opted to pass an appropriate order based on the PIL.
Deputy CM’s statement, which he also shared on social media platform X, came in the context of BJP’s poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
He emphasized that the organization surpasses the government in importance, adding that he sees himself first and foremost as a party worker rather than as Deputy Chief Minister.
His comments were intended to highlight the significance of grassroots party work.
Manjesh Kumar Yadav, a resident of Azamgarh and currently residing in Jhunsi, Prayagraj, has a history of filing PILs on various public interest issues.
He ran for mayor in 2017 and has been practicing law since 2013.
Yadav argued that Maurya’s remarks undermine the dignity of his office and cast doubt on the transparency of the government, further complicated by the lack of responses from the BJP, the Governor, and the Election Commission.
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