The Madras High Court on Monday imposed costs of Rs. 1 lakh on a person for wasting the court's time by filing a petition that sought the removal of General V.K. Singh from the post of Chief of the Army Staff.

A Division Bench comprising Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and M. Venugopal dismissed as withdrawn a petition by S. Vishwa Murti, founder-chairman of an organisation called ‘Awareness on Anti-Corruption and Crime'. The petitioner had made various allegations against the Army Chief and said he had brought disrepute to the country.

The Bench said that when a question was put to the petitioner's counsel regarding the principles enunciated by the Supreme Court in issuing a writ of quo warranto , he was unable to answer. [A writ of quo warranto is filed to remove someone from office by raising the question under what authority they continued to hold the post concerned].

Already a CBI probe is on into the charges made by the Army Chief that he was offered bribe.

The Bench said the petitioner had not approached the court with clean hands and with bona fide intention. This was clear from his attitude of requesting the court to permit him to withdraw the writ petition after the court had heard both parties for two days. Further more, the petitioner's counsel was unable to answer the court as to what made him seek such a writ without even understanding its nature and concept.

For wasting the court's valuable time, the Bench said it was imposing costs of Rs. 1 lakh on the petitioner. The sum should be paid to the Madras Society for Protection of Children, Old Washermenpet in Chennai, within two weeks, failing which the District Collector should initiate revenue recovery proceedings against the petitioner.