India, Jan. 13 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the removal of portraits of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar from the Parliament and other public spaces, warning the petitioner that he could be saddled with high costs for filing a frivolous plea.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi was hearing the petition filed by retired Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer B Balamurugan. The court eventually permitted him to withdraw the plea.

"Please don't indulge in all this. Enjoy your retirement now. Have some constructive role in society," CJI Kant remarked while dismissing the petition as withdrawn....