Indore-Dewas Jam Case | NHAI Replaces Counsel Over Controversial Remark; MP High Court Grants Authority A Week To File Reply

The Madhya Pradesh High Court, on Friday (July 11), granted one more week's time to the newly appointed counsel for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to submit the Authority's reply in connection with the traffic congestion issue on the Indore-Dewas highway.

Advocate AP Singh, appearing for NHAI, informed the Court that he had been appointed by NHAI to deal with this matter only last week following the replacement of the previous counsel, whose controversial remark had sparked a row. He accordingly sought time to file a power of attorney as well as a reply in the matter.

For context, the controversy arose after a remark made by the previous NHAI counsel during a hearing dated June 30. Referring to the traffic congestion on the highway, the counsel (in Hindi) stated, "Why do people leave so early without any work?…of course there will be a traffic jam".

This comment in the courtroom triggered public outrage, with a video clip from the hearing going viral on social media. Following the controversy, the NHAI issued a show cause notice to the counsel. The NHAI also posted a statement on X to clarify its stance:

“In reference to news regarding remark made by an advocate representing #NHAI during the hearing of PIL about traffic jam on 30 June 2025 in High Court of Madhya Pradesh, Indore Bench, it is hereby clarified that the remark by advocate does not represent official version of NHAI. The remark from the advocate was made without any authorization from NHAI. Accordingly, a show-cause notice has been served to the advocate.”

The incident pertained to a nearly 8 km long traffic jam that occurred on June 27 on the highway, lasting approximately 32 hours. Over 4,000 vehicles were stranded due to gridlock, allegedly caused by ongoing six-lane bridge construction, incomplete service roads and the absence of viable traffic diversion plans. It also led to the death of three people.

Following this incident, a public interest litigation was filed by Advocate Anand Adhikari, seeking that the construction be carried out under judicial supervision to ensure accountability of the concerned authorities.

During the hearing dated July 11, the bench of Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Binod Kumar Dwivedi noted that another PIL was filed, titled Manoj v Union of India, highlighting similar issues. Thus, the court further directed that the matters be combined.

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

For Union: Deputy Solicitor General Romesh Dave

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

For NHAI: Advocate AP Singh

Case Title: Anand Adhikari v NHAI (WP No. 24577 of 2025)