No toll collection on pothole-riddled, jammed highways: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has ruled that commuters cannot be compelled to pay tolls on highways that are incomplete, riddled with potholes, or rendered impassable by traffic snarls, upholding a Kerala High Court order suspending toll collection at the Paliyekkara plaza in Thrissur district.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai and comprising Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria dismissed appeals filed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the concessionaire, prioritising citizens’ welfare over financial losses from suspended toll collection.