The Gujarat High Court recently imposed a fine of ₹20 lakh on a man for filing a public interest litigation (PIL) against constructions in Surat to extort money from businesses [Ajay Rameshbhai Trivedi v. State of Gujarat & Ors]..A Division Bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi observed that Ajay Rameshbhai Trivedi was caught in a police sting operation blackmailing people and extorting around ₹45 lakh from them, which is sufficient to show him the exit door because unscrupulous persons cannot be permitted to misuse the court's process. The Court ordered that no PIL filed by Trivedi shall be entertained in the future, and that pending pleas filed by him should be listed before it immediately."...it is evident that the petitioner is blackmailing and is trying to extort money from the businessmen of the Surat city by creating fear in their mind that if they do not shell money, he would make a complaint of violation of one or the other laws. The present public interest litigation seems to have been filed with ulterior motive for personal gain by making allegations of illegal constructions against the respondent society," the order stated..The Court reasoned that Trivedi was trying to extort money from Surat businessmen by creating fear in their minds that if they do not shell out money, he would make a complaint that they were violating laws..Trivedi filed the PIL before the High Court in 2021 seeking demolition of certain properties in Surat and a probe into an alleged construction scam. He claimed to be a whistleblower and a Right to Information (RTI) activist who has exposed many corruption cases in the state. However, the Court was informed that Trivedi has been involved in a blackmail scandal, and a first information report (FIR) has been registered against him..After considering the case, the Court said that the argument that allegations in the FIR are yet to be proven will not help Trivedi maintain his petition before the High Court. Therefore, it rejected the plea and imposed the fine. .Senior Advocate R Sanjanwala and Advocate Adit R Sanjanwala appeared for two respondents who raised allegations against Trivedi.Assistant Government pleader Hetal Patel represented the State of Gujarat. .[Read Judgment]