SC offers legal help to woman who filed incomprehensible plea

Showing compassion, the Supreme Court Monday decided to appoint a lawyer to assist a petitioner to make good her case instead of dismissing the incomprehensible plea as is customary.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, which is usually strict with the maintainability of petitions, told Karri Lakshmikal, who was appearing in person, that it was unable to decipher as to what her precise grievances were.

The bench, also comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna, then offered to Lakshmikal that it would appoint a lawyer as an amicus curiae to help her out.

The petitioner was alleging complicity of some policemen of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh in some criminal acts.

"We have perused the writ petition and heard the petitioner, who is appearing in person. We are unable to comprehend as to what is the precise grievance of the petitioner.

"Ordinarily, this should entail the dismissal of the criminal writ petition, but as the petitioner is appearing in person and has insisted that she does have a grievance, we appoint Preetesh Kapur, counsel as an Amicus Curiae in the matter," the bench said.

It asked the petitioner to give a copy of her petition to Kapur in the course of the day and the lawyer, in turn, would interact with her and present her case in court on February, 6, the next date of hearing.

"The petitioner may appear in person and assist the Court, if she so desires," it said.