Bengaluru, July 16

BJP leader Tejasvi Surya on Thursday said the Karnataka High Court has made it clear that awarding the contract to build the tunnel road in Bengaluru will be subject to the outcome of the Public Interest Litigations (PILs).

The Bengaluru South MP on Thursday appeared before the Karnataka High Court, challenging the Congress government’s Tunnel Road project in the state capital.

“The Chief Justice directed the State government to inform the pendency of the petition to the probable/possible contractor, and that no equity shall be created. The award of any contract shall also be subject to the outcome of the PIL. The earlier order against the felling of trees in Lalbagh stands reiterated,” Surya stated on X. He added that the Court will ‘finally’ hear the matter on 20 August.

In October 2025, the State government vowed that no trees would be cut in the Lalbagh area for the 16.7 km Bangalore Twin Tunnel Road project.

A bench comprising of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice KS Hemalekha said that the court would not examine the government’s policy decision, but only whether the decision had been taken in accordance with law, according to Bar and Bench. 

“There is a huge traffic issue in Bengaluru which needs to be addressed. How you do it, whether it’s through a tunnel or not, we are not going to supplement it and express our view,” the Chief Justice orally remarked.

Surya, who was representing Prakash Belwadi, said, “We are not challenging the policy decision. We are questioning the manner in which the decision has been arrived at.”