The Supreme Court, on June 9, 2025, stayed the Madras High Court’s June 3 order that had halted toll collection on the Madurai–Tuticorin highway. The High Court had found the road in poor condition—with substandard maintenance and incomplete plantation obligations—and ruled toll collection impermissible until repairs were done.

A two‑judge bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan granted the interim stay, serving notice on V. Balakrishnan, the retired engineer whose PIL prompted Madras HC’s decision. The Supreme Court accepted the National Highways Authority of India’s plea, represented by ASG N. Venkataraman, to pause the HC’s order pending a full hearing.

In SC, Senior Advocate P. Wilson argued tolling in the road’s current state was “daylight robbery,” but the bench noted that the original petitioner hadn’t sought such a direction expressly—leading the court to permit toll collection to resume temporarily while proceedings continue.

This high-priority law and governance development highlights the legal balance between infrastructure obligations and revenue collection. Should you wish to dive deeper—into arguments from both sides or implications for future highway litigation—just let me know!

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