'Why People Leave Home So Early': NHAI Lawyer's Remark In Court Over MP Highway Jam Sparks Outrage
A 40-hour traffic jam on the Indore-Dewas highway that left three dead triggered public outrage after NHAI's courtroom remark, which seemed to be blaming the victims for the incident.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) found itself at the centre of a controversy after making a casual remark during court proceedings on a traffic jam in Madhya Pradesh. The comment, made by NHAI’s advocate while defending the authority’s role in the 40-hour jam on the Indore-Dewas highway that left three dead, has drawn widespread criticism and raised serious concerns about institutional accountability.
"Why do people even leave home so early without any work?" the NHAI lawyer reportedly asked in court — a statement that left both the judiciary and the public stunned, according to NDTV.
The question came in the wake of a massive traffic jam that began on Friday, June 27, stretching over eight kilometres and leaving more than 4,000 vehicles stranded. Three people died during the massive traffic jam. Kamal Panchal, 62, from Indore, reportedly died of a heart attack after being trapped in the heat inside his vehicle. The two other people who died were identified as Balram Patel, 55, and Sandeep Patel, 32.
Sumit Patel, nephew of Balram Patel, expressed his anguish over the insensitivity of the remark. "No one has the time to roam the streets without reason. We were on the road trying to save a life — my uncle's. If an NHAI official had been stuck like us, they'd understand the trauma," he was quoted as saying by NDTV.
The incident prompted advocate Anand Adhikari to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Adhikari himself had been caught in the same traffic snarl while trying to reach Indore.
The Bench, comprising Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Binod Kumar Dwivedi, heard the matter on Monday, June 30. The court directed that multiple parties be made respondents in the case, including NHAI (Delhi and Indore divisions), the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Indore Collector, Indore Police Commissioner, the road construction firm and Indore Dewas Tollways Ltd, the report added.
The court reminded NHAI that an earlier order in September 2024 had directed the completion of a diversion road within four weeks. That road, however, remains incomplete. NHAI blamed the delay on a 10-day strike by crusher units, even though it had earlier requested up to four months for the project. The judges appeared unconvinced by this reasoning.
Senior Advocate Girish Patwardhan, appearing for the petitioner, stated, "The High Court has specifically made NHAI, Indore-Dewas Toll Bridge Company, the construction firm, the Police Commissioner and the Collector as respondents, asking them to respond within a week."
Reacting to NHAI’s courtroom remark, Patwardhan confirmed it was indeed made and attracted the court’s stern response. "The Honourable Court responded that such reasoning is unacceptable, as it would mean that ordinary citizens could no longer safely step out of their homes. The court did not take this argument seriously."
Indore Collector Ashish Singh inspected the site and noted that the service road built by NHAI had failed to bear the load of heavy vehicles, leading to its collapse and triggering the jam.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for July 7 and asked all respondents to file detailed written submissions before that date, the NDTV report added.
