Karnataka HC disposes of petition seeking court intervention to solve Bengaluru’s traffic woes

The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday declined to intervene in a PIL petition, which had sought directions from the court to the State authorities in finding solution to the issue of Bengaluru’s severe traffic congestion, which is stated to be the second most congested city in the world as per the latest TomTom Traffic Index of 2025-26.

When the State authorities have themselves flagged the issue of traffic congestion in the city, it is expected that the authorities concerned would take necessary steps as required, said a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha while disposing of the petition filed by A.V. Amarnathan, a city-based advocate.

Flagged by DyCM

When the petitioner pointed out in the petition that Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar himself had told the media that his children too had expressed difficulties in moving in the city’s traffic every day, the Bench orally asked what direction the court could issue when the Deputy Chief Minister himself has flagged the issue.

Besides citing TomTom Traffic Index, the petitioner had pointed out that singer Hariharan in 2023 had apologised to the audience for delay to arrive at the venue of the music concert in the city stating that it took three hours for him to reach the venue from the airport.

Everyday hardship

Pointing out the everyday hardship faced by the people to reach their workplace and other needs in the traffic snarl, the petitioner had sought a direction for setting a committee of experts in traffic management to suggest projects to solve traffic congestion and implement them on war-footing basis.