Indore News: High Court Impleads Key Firms In SH-31 Petition

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a development in a long-running public interest litigation over toll collection on state highways, the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday allowed two private (toll) companies to be included as parties, reviving scrutiny into alleged excessive toll recovery.

The order came on a petition filed by social activist and former MLA Paras Saklecha, who has challenged continued toll collection on stretches of State Highway-31 despite claims that project costs have already been recovered multiple times.

A division bench of Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi permitted the petitioner to implead Jaora-Nayangaon Toll Road Company Pvt Ltd and Western MP Infrastructure & Toll Roads Pvt Ltd as respondents.

The court noted that the matter had earlier been decided but was remanded by the Supreme Court for fresh consideration. Acknowledging the role of the concessionaire companies in toll collection, the bench allowed their inclusion and directed the petitioner to amend the petition within three working days and issue notices to the newly added parties.

The case is scheduled for further hearing later this month.