BREAKING | Supreme Court Transfers Plea On Bridge Collapse Incidents In Bihar To Patna HC: "Monthly Checks, Structural Audits & Safety Checks"

The Supreme Court Today (April 2) transferred a PIL on collapsing bridges in Bihar to the Patna High Court for regular monitoring. Over 10,000 bridges have been inspected after multiple collapse incidents raised safety concerns.

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BREAKING | Supreme Court Transfers Plea on Bridge Collapse Incidents in Bihar to Patna HC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India sent a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) about the poor condition and safety of bridges in Bihar to the Patna High Court. This PIL was filed because many bridges in Bihar have collapsed in recent months, raising serious concerns about people’s safety and the durability of these bridges.

A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar gave this order. The Court said that the Patna High Court should now keep an eye on the situation and preferably monitor the work being done by the state, at least once every month. This includes making sure that structural audits and safety checks of bridges are properly done.

ALSO READ: [Bihar Bridge Collapse] “Last Opportunity for State Govt. to Reply on PIL”: CJI Sanjiv Khanna

The Supreme Court also said that the PIL petitioner, lawyer Brajesh Singh, along with the Bihar government and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), must appear before the Patna High Court on May 14, 2025. On that day, the High Court will decide when the case will be heard next.

During a short hearing in the Supreme Court, the Bihar government informed the judges that they have already inspected around 10,000 bridges across the state.

The bench responded by saying,

“We have gone through the counter. We are transferring the case to Patna. In the counter affidavit, they have given details of what they are doing…”

Earlier, on November 18, 2024, the Supreme Court had given one last chance to the Bihar government and other authorities to reply to the PIL. Even before that, the petitioner, Brajesh Singh, had approached the Supreme Court, asking for permission to include various news reports and additional documents to show how badly many bridges in Bihar have been maintained.

Back on July 29, 2024, the top court had asked the Bihar government, NHAI, and others to give their response to this PIL. The plea had asked for a proper structural audit of bridges in the state. It also demanded that an expert panel be formed to study the condition of bridges and decide which ones should be repaired or demolished.

In addition to the Bihar government and NHAI, the Supreme Court had also sent notices to other top officials in the state, like the Additional Chief Secretary of the Road Construction Department, the Chairperson of Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited, and the Additional Chief Secretary of the Rural Works Department.

ALSO READ: Bridge Collapse Incidents | SC Calls for Bihar Govt and NHAI Responses on Bridge Safety Concerns

From May to July 2024, ten bridge collapse incidents were reported in different districts of Bihar such as Siwan, Saran, Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran, and Kishanganj. It is believed that heavy rains may have played a role in some of these collapses.

The PIL strongly raised concerns about how safe these bridges are, especially since Bihar faces heavy rains and floods every Monsoon season. The petitioner asked the court to not only set up an expert team but also to start real-time monitoring of the bridges using the standards set by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

ALSO READ: [Bihar Bridge Collapse] Plea Filed in SC for Comprehensive Structural Audit of Bihar’s Bridges Following Recent Collapses

In the petition, the petitioner clearly pointed out that Bihar is the most flood-prone state in India, with a flood-affected area of 68,800 square kilometers, which is 73.06% of the state’s total area.

Because of these facts, the PIL stated,

“Hence, such routine accrual of the incident of falling bridges in Bihar is more disastrous as the lives of people at large is at stake. Therefore, the urgent intervention of this court is required to save the lives of people, as the under-construction bridges before its accomplishment collapsed routinely.”

Due to these serious incidents, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has asked the Road Construction and Rural Works Departments to do a proper survey of all old bridges in Bihar and identify those that need urgent repairs.

ALSO READ: [Bihar Bridge Collapse] ‘Frequent Incidents Are Disastrous, Risking Public Safety’: CJI to Address PIL on Structural Failures”