Overview

• The Supreme Court heard challenges by NHAI and Guruvayoor Infrastructure of the Kerala High Court’s August 6 order suspending tolls at Paliyekkara, citing severe congestion on the NH 544 stretch.
• On August 14, a bench led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai refused to stay the interim toll suspension ahead of today’s appeal hearing.
• Solicitor General Tushar Mehta attributed the weekend’s 12-hour blockage to an overturned lorry and monsoon-delayed underpass works, pointing to service roads and proposing a proportionate toll cut.
• Justice Vinod Chandran rejected the ‘act of God’ defence, noting the truck fell into a pothole and highlighting the highway’s poor maintenance.
• The justices suggested arbitration to clarify maintenance duties and signalled that NHAI could face claims to reimburse motorists for their fuel and time losses.