Shillong: The Meghalaya High Court is currently examining serious allegations of widespread corruption involving weighbridges throughout the state. These claims suggest that officials stationed at these crucial checkpoints are colluding to allow overloaded trucks to proceed without undergoing the legally mandated inspection process.
The court’s intervention follows the filing of Public Interest Litigation (PIL No. 1 of 2024) by concerned social activist Tenny Dard M Marak. Marak’s petition specifically names 28 government-operated weighbridges across Meghalaya, asserting that personnel at these locations are systematically enabling overloaded commercial vehicles to circumvent essential weighment protocols.
During a recent hearing presided over by a division bench comprising Chief Justice IP Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh, the State government presented the findings of its own internal investigation, which was initiated at the court’s behest.
In its order summarizing the State’s submission dated May 8, the court noted, “According to this report, this exercise was carried out in 24 weighbridges. In none of them, any overloaded truck was found to pass.” This assertion by the government was met with skepticism by the petitioner’s legal representative.
Dr P Agarwal, the counsel representing the petitioner, openly disputed the veracity of the government’s investigative report. To substantiate these concerns, Dr Agarwal requested additional time to prepare and submit a formal rejoinder to the State’s findings. The High Court has granted this request, setting a deadline of June 6 for the filing of the rejoinder.
Should the allegations of misconduct be substantiated through the ongoing judicial process, the implications for Meghalaya could be substantial. The state stands to potentially incur significant revenue losses due to unpaid fees and other charges associated with proper weighment. Furthermore, transportation regulations mandating the weighment of heavy vehicles are in place to safeguard road infrastructure from damage and to ensure overall traffic safety.
The Meghalaya High Court has scheduled the next hearing in this critical matter for June 13, 2025. At this session, the court will carefully consider the petitioner’s rejoinder and further evaluate the evidence presented to determine the validity of the serious corruption claims.
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