NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over misuse of criminal procedure to harass people for personal vendetta by filing frivolous cases, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the trial courts “to nip in the bud” such cases by discharging the accused even before trial.
Holding that a litigant, caught in a frivolous case, loses a self of himself in the legal battle to protect himself and his reputation, a bench of Justices M M Shantanagoudar and R Subhash Reddy said it is the duty of the trial court, being the first line of defence of the criminal justice system, to protect people from vexatious litigation.