The Supreme Court dismissed a PIL filed by Ludhiana trader Rajnish Sidhu seeking transparency in the PM CARES Fund after he admitted to drafting it using AI tools. CJI Surya Kant warned against filing such frivolous petitions.
THE Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest litigation filed by a Ludhiana-based hosiery trader after dramatic scenes unfolded in Court when he admitted to using artificial intelligence tools to draft his petition and failed to explain complex legal terminology used in it.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice R. Mahadevan grew suspicious the moment Rajnish Sidhu, who appeared in person, began reading from his written submission.
The petition sought directions to declare the PM CARES Fund as “State” under Article 12 of the Constitution, arguing that such a declaration would subject it to constitutional obligations of transparency and accountability.
The CJI inquired about the petitioner’s qualifications and profession. Sidhu responded that he had studied up to Class XII and was a trader in hosiery goods. When asked about his income tax returns, he stated he paid approximately Rs 5.25 lakhs in the previous year. The petitioner told the Court that this was his first legal filing and he had come directly to the Supreme Court without approaching any High Court previously.
Sarcastically remarking that the petitioner had done “a very brave thing by coming straight from Ludhiana”, the CJI expressed doubt about whether Sidhu had actually drafted the plea himself.
The Chief Justice offered to conduct an English examination in the courtroom itself, saying that he would believe the petitioner authored the document if he scored even 30 per cent.
The CJI asked Sidhu to explain the meaning of “Fiduciary Risk of Corporate Donors”, a term used in his PIL. The petitioner was unable to define it and attempted to read from his notes instead. The CJI interjected, telling him that the petition had been written and given to him by some advocate, and warned that he would order an investigation by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau if the truth was not disclosed.
Initially, Sidhu claimed that a typist named Mr. Das on the Supreme Court premises had assisted him. He said he had gifted the typist four jackets as he could not afford the Rs 1,000 per hour fee being demanded. Eventually, under sustained questioning, the petitioner confessed that he had used three to four AI tools to draft the petition because he could not afford professional legal counsel.
Dismissing the plea, the Court observed that the petitioner had filed it “without any sense of responsibility” and had indulged in making “vague, wild, frivolous and scandalous allegations”. The Bench noted that the tone, expressions, terminology and constitutional principles invoked in the petition could not have been the brainchild of a small trader with a Class XII qualification.
Advising Sidhu to return to his business, the CJI remarked that, “Jaao Ludhiana mein 2-3 aur sweater becho, jin logo ka kaam hai aisi petition file karna, woh nuksaan kardengay aur apka, costs lagwa ke.”
The Court warned that any future attempts to file such frivolous petitions would invite both penal and financial consequences.
Case title: Rajnish Sidhu v. Union of India & Ors., W.P.(Crl.) No. 46/2026
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