While dismissing a PIL questioning the regulatory approvals and accreditation granted to Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering and Technology, the Madras High Court has held that relying purely on the investigation of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), newspaper clippings, YouTube references or digital gossip does not satisfy the stringent threshold of "sufficient research" mandated for filing a public interest litigation.

The High Court was considering a Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution seeking a direction to the respondents to constitute an independent enquiry committee to scrutinise the regulatory approvals, affiliation, accreditation and autonomous status granted to the respondent institution, Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering and Technology, on the basis of alleged discrepancies and pending vigilance investigations.

Considering the fact that the petitioner had merely bundled newspaper clippings, YouTube references, and an FIR to build a narrative of widespread malpractice against the college, the Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G.Arul Murugan stated, “Relying purely on the investigation of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) or digital gossip does not satisfy the stringent threshold of "sufficient research" mandated for filing a public interest litigation. A criminal investigation is already underway and the matter is entirely sub judice. Rushing to file a PIL without verifying the foundational facts independently is, in our considered view, solely to sensationalize a pending legal process.”

Senior Counsel R. Shunmugasundaram represented the Petitioner while Senior Panel Counsel K.S. Jeyaganeshan represented the Respondent.

Reasoning

The Bench, at the outset, explained that the legal prerequisite for a writ of mandamus is a prior demand for justice made to the authorities and its subsequent refusal. The representation sent by the petitioner dated April 29, 2026 sought the withdrawal of the autonomous status and accreditation conferred upon the respondent college. “Paradoxically, the prayer made in this petition requests the constitution of an independent high-level enquiry committee to investigate the seventh respondent’s original records”, it noted.

The Bench further stated, “We notice that the prayers made in the writ petition and the representation sent are for entirely different purposes. A petitioner cannot seek one extreme punitive remedy before the statutory authorities and subsequently approach this court asking for an investigative mechanism under a completely transformed pretext.”

The Bench took note of the fact that the petitioner had merely bundled newspaper clippings, YouTube references, and a First Information Report to build a narrative of widespread malpractice against the Institution and no independent research or verification was done before rushing to the Court.

“When a public interest litigation is filed without a shred of independent research, it must be throttled at the threshold”, the Bench thus held while dismissing the Petition.

Cause Title: D.Radhakrishnan v. Union of India (Case No.: W.P.No.24190 of 2026)

Appearance

Petitioner: Senior Counsel R.Shunmugasundaram. M/s. A.Gopinath

Respondent: Senior Panel Counsel K.S.Jeyaganeshan, Advocate V. Sudha Government Pleader Mohammed Fayaz Ali, Standing Counsel U.Baranidharan

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Madras High CourtChief Justice Sushrut Arvind DharmadhikariJustice G.Arul Murugan

Tulip Kanth

Assistant Editor

Tulip Kanth is an Assistant Editor at Verdictum having over 5 years of experience in the field of legal journalism and editing. She extensively covers judgments of the Supreme Court, High Courts as well as Tribunals. She has previously worked with a legal publishing website where she oversaw the work of other editors and has also created updates on notifications of different Government Ministries. She holds an English Honours Degree from SGTB Khalsa College, Delhi University and has completed her LLB course with specialisation in Corporate Law from Amity University.