New Delhi, March 12: Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan today dismissed a PIL against witch-hunting by saying “you will soon have several women MPs, they can deal with this problem” — remarks seen as a veiled criticism of the women’s bill.

“We have too many such PILs before us. You will soon have several women MPs. They can deal with this problem,” Balakrishnan, heading a three-member Supreme Court bench, said while refusing to admit the plea.

The bench may have been just using its discretion in what cases to hear. Pending cases — 50,000 in the top court — are a problem, too. But the remark on women MPs runs the risk of being interpreted otherwise by the bill’s backers.

Dehradun NGO Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra had filed the PIL, drawing attention to witch-hunting, a problem rampant in several states such as Assam, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand.