The Supreme Court ofIndia.
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday suspended a Madras High Court's order which restrained the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) from collecting toll on the Madurai-Tuticorin national highway.
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan passed the direction while hearing an appeal filed by the NHAI against the high court's June 3 order.
Additional solicitor general N Venkataraman, appearing for the NHAI, sought a stay on the order passed by the Madras High Court.
Senior advocate P Wilson, representing the state government opposed the plea. He called the toll collection as "daylight robbery".
The court issued notice to V Balakrishnan, a retired Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation assistant executive engineer from Tuticorin district. The Madras High Court had passed the order on a plea by Balakrishnan.
The high court had restrained NHAI from collecting toll while observing that the stretch hadn't been properly maintained aside from the saplings not being planted on both sides of the road.
Balakrishnan had filed a PIL in the high court claiming that the contract for the Madurai-Tuticorin highway was awarded in 2006 and the stretch was made operational in 2011.
He referred to the contract and contended that the contractor was supposed to plant saplings on both sides and on the centre median but it was only partially done.