The Supreme Court laid down the following guidelines:
- The Court must encourage genuine and bona fide PIL and effectively discourage/curb PIL filed for extraneous considerations.
- Each High Court should properly formulate rules for encouraging genuine PIL and discouraging those with oblique motives.
- The Court should prima facie verify the credentials of the petitioner before entertaining PIL.
- The Court shall be prima facie satisfied regarding the correctness of the contents of the petition.
- The Court should be fully satisfied that substantial public interest is involved.
- The Court should ensure that petitions involving larger public interest, gravity, and urgency are given priority.
- The Court must ensure that PIL is aimed at redressal of genuine public harm and public injury, and that there is no personal gain, private motive, or oblique motive.
- The Court should discourage petitions filed by busybodies for extraneous and ulterior motives by imposing exemplary costs or adopting novel methods.