Man brings foetus to court; Rs 200-crore case against Maruti Suzuki dismissed as ‘baseless’

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has dismissed a Rs 200 crore compensation plea against Maruti Suzuki, strongly criticising the petitioner for bringing a miscarried foetus into the courtroom. The court said judicial proceedings cannot be turned into a platform for emotional display and must be guided strictly by law and evidence.

The petitioner, Dayashankar Pandey, had alleged large-scale embezzlement involving the company and claimed that his family faced repeated attacks after he exposed the matter. He further stated that one such incident led to his wife’s miscarriage, while another left his daughter severely injured. Based on these claims, he sought recovery of funds, compensation for medical treatment, and directions for an impartial investigation.

Opposing the plea, the state and the company argued that the allegations were unsupported by any documentary evidence. The court, after examining the submissions, found that the petitioner failed to provide even basic records, including copies of complaints he claimed to have filed, and termed the petition vague, baseless, and lacking credibility.

The court also took note of the petitioner’s conduct, including repeated filings on similar grounds without pursuing appropriate legal remedies. It observed that such actions amounted to vexatious litigation and misuse of the judicial process, leading to unnecessary wastage of judicial time.

In a sharp remark, the court called the act of bringing a foetus into the courtroom “highly objectionable” and contrary to legal norms, stating that such conduct undermines the dignity of the judiciary. While expressing sympathy for personal loss, the court reiterated that emotions cannot influence judicial decisions and warned of strict action if such conduct is repeated.