NHAI Approaches Supreme Court Against Madras HC Order Stopping Toll Collection On Madurai-Tuticorin Highway

The National Highway Authority of India has approached the Supreme Court challenging the recent order of the Madras High Court which prohibited the collection of toll on Madurai-Tuticorin Highway till the road was relaid & maintained in a good condition.

On Friday (June 6), the Special Leave Petition filed by the NHAI was mentioned before a bench comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Satish Chandra Shamra for urgent hearing. The bench agreed to list the matter next Monday.

The petition is listed before a bench of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Manmohan on June 9.

The High Court passed the order on June 3 underscoring that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has an obligation to maintain highways properly pursuant to which they can collect toll fee on such users.

The bench of Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice AD Maria Clete thus halted the collection of toll in the Madurai-Tuticorin highway, till the roads are properly maintained by the authority as per the standards prescribed under the National Highways Authority of India Act.

“….the National Highways Authority of India is under obligation to maintain the highways properly and thereafter, collect toll fee from the road users. Instead, they are maintaining the highway road in a bad condition. Therefore, collection of toll fee in Madurai – Tuticorin National Highways is impermissible and the road users are entitled for a good conditioned National Highways and then alone they are liable to pay toll fee as prescribed by the authority concerned,” the court said.

Case : THE GENERAL MANAGER (T) NATIONAL HIGHWAYS AUTHORITY OF INDIA VS. V.BALAKRISHNAN | SLP(C) No. 16474/2025