The Gujarat High Court has recently dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by one Ganpatsinh Chimanbhai Rathwa, alleging irregularities in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) in the state.
The PIL, filed before the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi, sought to highlight various instances of corruption and irregularities in the execution of works under MGNREGA.
However, the court observed that the MGNREGA Act, 2005, provides a grievance redressal mechanism under Section 19, which allows individuals to raise complaints regarding irregularities in the implementation of the scheme.
Additionally, the Gujarat State Employment Guarantee Rules, framed under the Act, provide a procedure for dealing with grievances through Rules 5 and 6.
In light of the availability of this statutory remedy, the court held that the PIL could not be entertained.
The bench noted that the petitioner could have availed of the statutory remedy provided under the MGNREGA Act, 2005, instead of filing a PIL.
Therefore, the court dismissed the PIL, along with a connected civil application.
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