(1.) This Judgment shall dispose of the following writ petitions, viz., <FRM>JUDGEMENT_1521_TLMAD0_2011_1.html</FRM>
(2.) The Petitioners have invoked the jurisdiction of this Court to challenge the constitutional validity of the National Highways Laws (Amendment) Act, 1997 (hereinafter referred to as the 'Act'). The object and reasons for enactment of the Act are:
(3.) In order to achieve the object, the Legislature added the following Sections to the National Highways Act, 1956, and the National Highways Authorities under the Act, 1958, which read as under: