🛣️Road to Justice: Supreme Court Affirms Right to Safe Roads under Article 21
⚖️ Case Background The case stemmed from a dispute between Umri Pooph Pratappur (UPP) Tollways Pvt. Ltd. , a private concessionaire, and the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC) . In 2012, UPP Tollways was awarded a ₹73.68 crore contract for upgrading a 43.775 km stretch of road on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis. Initially, the contractor raised a dispute before the M.P. Arbitration Tribunal , a statutory body under the Madhyastham Adhikaran Adhiniyam, 1983 , but later withdrew the reference and initiated private arbitration under the Indian Council of Arbitration (ICADR) in 2022. The MPRDC challenged this move through a writ petition , asserting that the agreement was a “works contract” and disputes must be resolved only through the statutory tribunal. 🧾 Key Findings of the Supreme Court ✅ 1. Safe Roads are a Constitutional Right The Court unequivocally held that the right to life under Article 21 includes the right to safe, motorable roads . The du...