A 40-hour traffic jam on the Indore-Dewas highway has not only claimed three lives but also triggered national outrage following a shocking courtroom remark by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The comment—“Why do people even leave home so early without any work?”—was made during a court hearing and has been widely condemned as insensitive and tone-deaf.

The traffic gridlock, which began on a Friday, spanned 8 kilometers and trapped more than 4,000 vehicles. Among the deceased were 62-year-old Kamal Panchal from Indore, who suffered a fatal heart attack in the heat; 55-year-old Balram Patel from Shujalpur; and 32-year-old Sandeep Patel from Gari Pipalya. Their families, grappling with grief, have described the remark as cruel and detached from the lived reality of thousands stranded in dire conditions.

Balram Patel’s nephew, Sumit, criticized the comment, stating that his family was on the road not for leisure but in a desperate attempt to get medical help for his uncle. “If an NHAI official had suffered what we did, they might understand the trauma,” he said.

The deaths prompted advocate Anand Adhikari, who was himself stuck in the jam, to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). The Madhya Pradesh High Court has since pulled in multiple agencies as respondents, including the NHAI’s Delhi and Indore offices, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the Indore Collector, and the local police commissioner. The court also involved the road construction firm and Indore Dewas Tollways Ltd.

The court sharply criticized the delay in constructing a promised diversion road, which had been ordered back in September with a four-week completion deadline. NHAI blamed a 10-day strike at crusher units for the delay, but the court found the excuse insufficient, questioning the agency’s efficiency and commitment to public safety.

Senior advocate Girish Patwardhan confirmed that the court has demanded responses within a week from all parties involved, including the toll operator and road contractor. Meanwhile, the Indore Collector’s inspection revealed that the NHAI-constructed service road was too weak to withstand heavy traffic, which led to the catastrophic jam.

As the court prepares for its next hearing on July 7, a larger question looms: Will Indian citizens now require justification to use public roads, or will authorities finally be held accountable for life-threatening infrastructure failures?