Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday granted the state government a final 15 days to comply with its earlier direction on a petition related to the ongoing Indore Metro rail project.
Hearing the petition filed by Kishore Kodwani, a division bench comprising Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi directed the state government to ensure that the principal secretary (Urban Administration and Development) takes a decision on the petitioner’s representation and submits it before the court.
The court noted that in an earlier order dated December 18, 2025, it had directed the principal secretary to consider and decide the representation in accordance with law and place the decision before the court through the government advocate before the next hearing.
During the hearing, counsel for the state sought additional time to inform the court about the decision taken by the Urban Administration and Development Department. The request was opposed by Kodwani, who appeared in person and argued that the respondents were adopting delaying tactics
Despite the objection, the bench granted a final opportunity of 15 days to the state government to comply with the earlier order. The matter has been listed for further hearing on April 7.
The court also made it clear that if the direction is not complied with by the next date of hearing, it may order the personal appearance of the principal secretary before the court.
Kodwani has contended that a stretch of the metro corridor between Bengali Square and the airport poses a serious threat to Indore’s heritage structures such as the High Court building, Rani Sarai and Rajwada, as well as the environment and urban landscape. He has sought a stay on the project, pointing out that no response has been filed even after nearly 15 months, and alleged that no approval has been obtained from the Archaeology Department for work in these zones.
