Shillong, June 13 : The Meghalaya High Court today heard a significant Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the operation of weighbridges across the state, with the petitioner alleging a staggering revenue loss of ₹640 crores to the government due to irregularities. The bench, comprising Chief Justice I.P. Mukerji and Justice W. Diengdoh, deemed the revenue loss a “very important” element of the litigation.
The PIL, filed by Tennydard M. Marak, represented by Dr. P. Agarwal, Adv., raised serious concerns about the absence of the required number of weighbridges in many locations and alleged illegal activities by government officials at 28 operational weighbridges. These allegations include officials’ involvement in allowing overloaded goods vehicles to bypass weighment with impunity.
The petitioner’s rejoinder highlighted several critical issues:
· A total absence of weighbridges at crucial vantage points.
· Lack of proper facilities to weigh truck loads at several weighbridges, leading to manual and often incorrect weighment.
· Goods passing into Bangladesh without proper weighment.
· The Dalu weighbridge at Chaipani, Dalu, only capable of weighing 10-wheeler trucks, while 12-wheeler trucks entering from Bhutan cannot be weighed.
The State, represented by N. Syngkon, GA, and J.N. Rynjah, Adv., had previously filed a report in response to a court order dated May 16, 2025, stating that inspections were carried out at 24 weighbridges and no overloaded trucks were found. However, the petitioner has “seriously challenged” this report. Regarding inter-country transit between Bhutan, India, and Bangladesh, the State’s counsel submitted that goods are in transit according to treaties, limiting the Indian government’s powers over such goods.
The High Court has directed the Principal Secretary, Transport Department, to scrutinize the petitioner’s response thoroughly and file a counter-affidavit by July 5, 2025. The government is also mandated to take action based on the allegations if they are found to be true.
The next hearing for this PIL is scheduled for July 7, 2025.
