On Monday, the Manipur High Court lodged a public interest lawsuit to keep an eye on the state’s road conditions after taking suo motu cognizance of the deteriorating road infrastructure throughout the state. Through the Advocate General, a bench consisting of Chief Justice K. Somasekhar and Justice A. Guneshwar Sharma sent notifications to the relevant state government ministries, requesting a response by September 8.
In order for them to be implicated in the case, the court further ordered the government to provide a comprehensive list of the officials in charge of road repairs in the valley and hill areas. The action comes after the Manipur State Legal Services Authority (MASLSA) submitted a thorough report highlighting dangerous road conditions, especially on routes that lead to courts, hospitals, schools, and marketplaces.
Based on field evaluations conducted by all District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) in response to an order issued on July 15, 2025, the report contained resident testimony, GPS-tagged and photographic data, and accident records connected to inadequate road maintenance. The petition calls for immediate actions, such as the time-bound repair of important roads, the establishment of a monitoring committee or the appointment of an amicus curiae, as well as a thorough state report on road inventories, tenders, budgets, and repair timelines, because monsoon rains deteriorate road conditions and raise the risk of accidents.
Citing a recent Supreme Court decision that acknowledges the right to safe roads as a component of fundamental rights under Articles 19(1)(g) and 21, it claimed that the state’s failure to maintain motorable and safe roads breaches Article 21 of the Constitution. The PIL identifies the respondents as the chief engineer of the Manipur State Rural Roads Development Agency, the principal secretary of the rural development & panchayati raj department, the chief secretary and chief engineers of the public works department, and the chief secretary.