India, April 13 -- Public Interest Litigation (PIL), introduced in the early 1980s by Chief Justice of India PN Bhagwati and Justice VR Krishna Iyer, has, over the last four decades, served the cause of lakhs of long-suffering poor and marginalised sections of the population, including thousands of undertrial prisoners in Indian jails who otherwise saw no light at the end of the tunnel.

Till the 1980s, the courts in India, the Supreme Court, the High Courts and the subordinate courts entertained petitions only from parties directly or indirectly affected by any action or event. The courts heard and adjudicated cases only under their original and appellate jurisdictions.

However, in the 1980s, the Supreme Court of India began hearing pub...