New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said that development issues, which benefit the common man, should not be politicized. Furthermore, the court reprimanded the West Bengal government for “obstructing” the ongoing construction of a corridor of the Kolkata Metro Rail Project.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi refused to hear the state government’s petition. The bench said, “This only shows the stubborn attitude of the authorities, in which they want to delay and stall the Metro Rail project in Kolkata. There was no flaw in the order passed by the High Court; we are confident that the project will be completed in a timely manner.”
The bench said that there is no need to politicize everything. This is a development issue. The bench told the state government’s lawyer, “This shows a complete disregard for your constitutional duty. You are shirking your responsibilities.”
The court said it would not commend the state government for politicizing a development issue beneficial to the common man and said, “Don’t create obstacles.”
The bench said it was simply pointing out that the High Court had been too lenient towards the state government, adding, “This was a genuine case where some action should have been taken against your Chief Secretary, DGP, and other officials.”
The state’s lawyer tried to argue that the Model Code of Conduct is in place for the upcoming elections in the state, and board examinations are underway.
Referring to the High Court’s order of December 23, 2025, the bench asked, “What prevented the state government from following the instructions since then?”
Justice Bagchi said that the Election Commission of India cannot object to this development project, which is ongoing and monitored by the High Court.
The Supreme Court said, “Festivals are more important to you than development. It’s not that you are prepared, you are on duty.”
The bench asked, “You told the High Court that you have to take festivals into account. Are festivals more important than building transportation facilities?”
The Supreme Court made it clear that it does not approve of a democratically elected government approaching the court and asking it to ignore it. Justice Bagchi said, “The Election Commission will have no difficulty approving this project. This project was started before the Model Code of Conduct came into effect. We will not allow the state to use this as a threat to stop development again.”
The state government’s lawyer argued that the project could not proceed because the construction would block roads used by ambulances and emergency vehicles.
The lawyer requested time until May to comply with the High Court’s instructions. However, the bench disagreed and refused to entertain the petition, stating that it would dismiss the state government’s appeal against the December 23, 2025, order.
The bench asked the Calcutta High Court to monitor the project’s construction.
On December 23, 2025, the High Court expressed concern over the delay in completion of a project connecting the IT hub of Salt Lake’s Sector V to major areas of South Kolkata. This was due to police obstruction regarding permission for roadblocks. The court directed that the work be completed by February 15, 2026.
