Lawyer Who Defended Highway Body With Bizarre Remark Gets Show-Cause Notice

Three people had lost their lives during a 40-hour-long traffic jam on the Indore-Devas bypass last Friday, triggering widespread outrage. The incident, which occurred during a holiday rush, led to a legal petition filed by Anand Adhikari, one of the commuters stuck in the jam.

During a High Court hearing on June 30, the lawyer representing the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) argued that people from Indore should not go out for leisure trips, indirectly blaming the public for the traffic congestion.

"Why do people even leave home so early without any work?" the lawyer had said.

The statement sparked controversy, and NHAI has now distanced itself from the lawyer's remarks. NHAI issued a show-cause notice to its counsel, demanding an explanation for the comment made during the court proceedings.

NHAI posted that the statement made by the lawyer does not reflect the authority's position and that it had no connection with the argument presented in court.

The original comment had attempted to justify the traffic jam by suggesting that people stepping out during holidays increase the load on the bypass, but it was widely seen as an insensitive attempt to shift blame from infrastructure management to the public.

The High Court continues to hear the case related to the prolonged traffic congestion, with growing scrutiny on NHAI's preparedness and accountability.