Supreme Court Transfers PIL On Bihar Bridge Collapses To Patna High Court

The bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar was hearing a PIL seeking directions to the Bihar government for a thorough structural audit and constitution of a high-level expert committee to identify any weak bridges that might need to be demolished or strengthened.

Upon considering the details furnished in the Counter Affidavit by the State of Bihar, the bench decided to transfer the petition to the Patna High Court. The CJI verbally said : "We have gone through the counter, and we are transferring to the Patna High Court. In the counter, they have given details of what they are doing, the inspections etc." 

During the hearing, the Counsel for the petitioner stressed that several instances of bridge collapse have occurred yet no third-party inspection has taken place till date. 

Justice Kumar also weighed in to point out that, "3 under construction bridges collapsed! The concerned officials were suspended for a while and then brought back. Everyone is hand in glove" 

The Counsel for the state of Bihar submitted that the departmental proceedings have been initiated and are ongoing against the concerned officials. 

The CJI then verbally observed, "We will transfer it to the High Court, let them monitor it on a monthly basis" 

The Counsel for the State also informed that more than 10,000 bridges have been inspected. 

The bench proceeded to pass the following order : 

" Having regard to the nature of the controversy, the Counter Affidavit ...We are of the opinion that the present writ petition be transferred to the High Court of Patna, which can conduct expeditious and appropriate hearings from time to time.

The registry is directed to transfer the files to the Patna High Court within a period of 4 weeks, parties to appear before the High Court on 14th of May, 2025" 

In July 2024, the bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra issued notice in the PIL.

The petition has been filed in July 2024 in the wake of reports regarding the collapse of at least 9 bridges recently (including under-construction bridges). According to the petition, the collapses raise significant concerns about the safety and reliability of bridge infrastructures in the region, especially considering that Bihar is the most flood-prone state in India.

The PIL not only seeks an audit but also the formation of a high-level expert committee. This committee would be responsible for a detailed examination and continuous monitoring of all the bridges to ensure they are safe for public use.

The PIL highlights the multiple bridge collapses around river areas including the Araria, Siwan, Madhubani and Kishanganj districts.

"It is a matter of grave concern that in a state like Bihar, which is the most flood-prone state of India, the total flood-affected area in the state is 68,800 sq. km which is 73.06 per cent of the total geographical area. Hence such routine accrual of the incident of falling bridges in Bihar is more disastrous as the lives of people at large are at stake. Therefore the urgent intervention of this Hon'ble Court is required to save the lives of people, as the under-construction bridges before its accomplishment collapsed routinely," the petitioner said.

The petitioner sought real-time monitoring of the bridges based on the same methodology developed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India through its policy dated March 4, 2024, for Preservation of National Highways and Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

Case Details : BRAJESH SINGH VS. THE STATE OF BIHAR W.P.(C) No. 000462 / 2024