๐Ÿ“œintro to political science review

Public interest litigation (PIL)

Written by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025

Definition

Public Interest Litigation (PIL) is a legal action initiated in a court of law for the enforcement of public interest or general welfare, where the public or a specific class of the community has pecuniary interest or some interest by which their legal rights or liabilities are affected. It allows an individual or group to file a lawsuit on behalf of those whose rights are directly affected.