India, May 23 -- The Supreme Court on Friday imposed Rs.7,000 cost on a lawyer who filed a petition seeking a probe against the three civil servants who violated protocol during Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai's recent visit to Maharashtra, observing that the petitioner was unnecessarily bringing the office of CJI into controversy.

A bench of CJI Gavai and justice AG Masih said the petition was an effort to gain cheap publicity. "We are of the considered view that the present PIL is a publicity interest litigation to gain cheap publicity. We highly deprecate such practice. We request everybody not to make a mountain out of a molehill," the bench said, dismissing the petition.

During his first visit to the state as CJI for a...