Delhi High Court seeks NHAI reply to PIL flagging continued toll collection despite recovery of construction cost

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on a petition seeking directions to stop toll collection on national highways and expressways where the construction cost has already been recovered [Abdul Karim Ansari v. NHAI & Anr].

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed the NHAI to file its reply.

The Court said that the case will be heard next on January 20, 2026.

The Court passed the order on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by one Abdul Karim Ansari. Counsel appearing for Ansari claimed that there are 128 toll plazas across the country where operators continue to collect tolls despite the recovery of the full project cost.

Citing a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the petitioner’s counsel argued that in several cases, the total amount of toll collected is many times higher than the cost of construction.

According to data furnished in the plea, toll revenue at some plazas has exceeded more than 50 times the project’s construction cost, with instances where recovery was completed as early as 2016, despite which toll collection still continues.