The Madhya Pradesh High Court on September 9, 2025, issued notice in a public interest litigation (PIL) highlighting alleged corruption and serious irregularities in the ongoing construction of the Maihar Main Road in Maihar city, Satna district.

The petition alleges that the Public Works Department (PWD), in collusion with a private contractor, has been simply laying fresh material over the existing road without removing its base, leading to an increase of nearly one foot in road height. According to the petitioner, this is the third round of such layering on the same stretch, and as a consequence, houses and shops which were once at the same level as the road are now sitting significantly below it, posing a risk of waterlogging and submergence.

During the hearing, the petitioner submitted that instead of reconstructing the road after scraping the old structure, the department was only raising its height repeatedly. The bench noted that such practices were being followed by the PWD across the State. When asked to justify the necessity of the construction method, counsel for the PWD informed the Court that half of the road had already been built.

Taking serious note, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf orally observed that by increasing road levels, surrounding residential and commercial establishments would be exposed to flooding during rains. The Court remarked:

“The contention raised appears correct. You are raising the road height by a foot—what is the necessity? Everywhere the same practice is being followed, and now the houses are getting submerged with water. Who approved this design that requires the road to be one foot higher than the existing one?”

The Court also inquired whether the road was subject to unusually heavy vehicular traffic to justify such construction. When further asked about the rationale for adopting this method, counsel for the PWD sought time to obtain instructions regarding the design parameters.

The bench thereafter directed:

“Issue notice. Notice is accepted by learned counsel for the State. Notice shall also be issued to respondents 7 and 8, returnable within two weeks.”

The matter is now listed for further hearing on September 24, 2025.

Case Title: Manish Patel v. State of Madhya Pradesh, Writ Petition (WP) No. 30798/2025