The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday granted a week’s time to the newly appointed counsel for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to submit the Authority’s response in a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning the massive traffic congestion on the Indore-Dewas highway.

Appearing for NHAI, Advocate A.P. Singh informed the Division Bench of Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Binod Kumar Dwivedi that he had only recently been engaged following the replacement of the earlier counsel, whose courtroom remark during the June 30 hearing had triggered public backlash. Singh sought time to file the power of attorney and the reply on behalf of NHAI, which the Court allowed.

The controversy stems from a widely criticised remark made by NHAI’s previous counsel during a hearing on June 30, in which he reportedly said in Hindi, “Why do people leave so early without any work?… of course there will be a traffic jam.” The statement, captured in a viral video, drew public outrage.

NHAI later distanced itself from the advocate’s comments and issued a clarification via X (formerly Twitter), stating:

“The remark by advocate does not represent the official version of NHAI… A show-cause notice has been served to the advocate.”

The PIL was filed by Advocate Anand Adhikari following a severe traffic jam on June 27, which lasted nearly 32 hours and left over 4,000 vehicles stranded on an 8-kilometre stretch. The jam was allegedly caused by uncoordinated construction of a six-lane bridge, incomplete service roads, and lack of alternative routes. The disruption also reportedly led to the death of three individuals.

The PIL seeks that the construction work be monitored under judicial supervision to ensure the accountability of NHAI and other authorities involved.

During the hearing, the Court also took note of a separate but related PIL—Manoj v Union of India—highlighting similar grievances. It directed that both matters be heard together to streamline the proceedings.

Appearances:

• For Petitioner: Senior Advocate Girish S. Patwardhan with Advocate Kirti Patwardhan

• For NHAI: Advocate A.P. Singh

• For Union of India: Deputy Solicitor General Romesh Dave

• For State of MP: Deputy Advocate General Sudeep Bhargav with Government Advocate Bhuwan Gautam

Case Title: Anand Adhikari v. National Highways Authority of India
Case No.: WP No. 24577 of 2025