Shillong: The Meghalaya High Court has cast a shadow of doubt over the state government’s assertion that its 28 operational weighbridges have been entirely free of overloaded trucks. A division bench comprising Chief Justice I.P. Mukerji and Justice W. Diengdoh, presiding over a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Tenny Dard M. Marak, has called for concrete evidence from the petitioner to counter the official report, which staunchly denies any irregularities.
The PIL brings forth serious allegations of widespread corruption and substantial revenue loss at these crucial checkpoints, claiming that “carriers and the government officials are involved in illegal activity” and that vehicles are “allowed to pass without proper weighment.” Furthermore, the petition alleges that a number of weighbridges have been deliberately rendered non-functional, contributing to the state exchequer’s financial drain.
However, the state government’s report, submitted on May 16, 2025, presents a contrasting narrative, declaring that “not a single overloaded truck had passed or was allowed to pass through the 28 weighbridges.” The report also pointed out that “in the international transit between Bhutan, India and Bangladesh the level of control by the Indian authority was minimal.”
The court’s engagement with the matter commenced in December 2024 with a request for an initial government report. By February 2025, the bench noted the absence of a “proper inspection and report” and set a May 2025 deadline for its submission. Dr P Agarwal, representing the petitioner, contested the government’s findings, leading to a subsequent report from the state, which reiterated “that there is no irregularity or illegality in the weighment of goods vehicles across those weighbridges.”
With the ball now firmly in the petitioner’s court, the bench has directed them to file a comprehensive affidavit by August 1, 2025. The court underscored that “shorn of the necessary details, it would not be possible for this Court to adjudge the merits of the allegation made by the petitioner.”
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