‘Why do people leave early…’ NHAI lawyer’s shocking remark after 3 die amid 40 hr traffic jam in MP stirs debate

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) faced backlash after its lawyer questioned why people leave home early with no work during court proceedings about a 40-hour traffic jam in Madhya Pradesh that resulted in three deaths.

“Why do people even leave home so early without any work?” a report by NDTV quoted the NHAI lawyer. Both judiciary and the public were surprised by his statement.

The lawyer’s comments come during the hearing of a case regarding a massive traffic jam stretching more than eight kilometres, where over 4,000 vehicles were stranded on Friday, June 27. Three people lost their lives. Kamal Panchal, 62, from Indore, reportedly died of a heart attack caused by the heat inside the vehicle. The other two deceased were identified as Balram Patel, 55, and Sandeep Patel, 32, the report said.

Sumit Patel, nephew of Balram Patel, expressed his disappointment on the NHAI lawyer’s comment. “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,” NDTV quoted him.

Following the lawyer’s remark, advocate Anand Adhikari filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He was also stuck in the same traffic on June 27.

On Monday, June 30, the Bench consisting of Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Binod Kumar Dwivedi heard the case. The court ordered that several parties be added as respondents, including NHAI (Delhi and Indore divisions), the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the Indore Collector, the Indore Police Commissioner, the road construction company, and Indore Dewas Tollways Ltd, the report stated.

The court reiterated a September 2024 order, telling NHAI to complete the diversion road within four weeks. However, the road remains unfinished. NHAI attributed the delay to a 10-day strike by crusher units despite having previously requested up to four months for the project. The report stated that the judges seemed unsatisfied by this explanation.