Day after Gautam Adani meets D.K. Shivakumar, Karnataka government amends two laws to clear legal hurdles for tunnel road project

Day after Gautam Adani meets D.K. Shivakumar, Karnataka administration amends two laws to clear legal hurdles for tunnel road project The move has drawn robust condemnation from the petitioners arguing that this amounted to "regularising violations in retrospect".

Key points

• On Monday, the legislature passed The Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
• Satya Arikutharam, an independent urban mobility expert, remarked that the BMLTA Act, 2022, was passed in 2023, but the Authority was not constituted for years.
• Likewise, The Karnataka Administration Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
• The RMP-2015 which is in force in the city, doesn't include the tunnel road project, nor was it planned as part of the exercise of drawing up RMP-2041.
• Three PILs in the High Court of Karnataka challenging the tunnel road project had contended that the project was in violation of these two laws.

Three PILs in the High Court of Karnataka challenging the tunnel road project had contended that the project was in violation of these two laws. Photo Credit: File photo.

Notably, a day after Gautam Adani, chairman, Adani Group. It has emerged as the lowest bidder in Bengaluru's North-South Twin Tunnel project, visited Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar at his residence, the Karnataka administration passed Bills amending two laws in both Houses of the State legislature on Monday (August 24) to clear legal hurdles for the project.

On Monday, the legislature passed The Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026. It gives deemed approval for all projects initiated after the commencement of the BMLTA Act, 2022, and before the notification of the BMLTA Rules, 2026, on July 3. A batch of three PILs in the High Court had contended that as per Section 19 of the BMLTA Act, 2022, the Authority had to approve all major urban mobility projects in Bengaluru and the tunnel road project did not have this approval. As per the amendment Bill, the project will be "deemed approved", now.

Not 5%, not even an inch: Bengaluru citizens demand rollback of amendment to alienate park land.

Satya Arikutharam, an independent urban mobility expert, remarked that the BMLTA Act, 2022, was passed in 2023, but the Authority was not constituted for years. "When citizens challenged the tunnel road project for not being approved by BMLTA, as per Section 19 of the BMLTA Act, 2022, the State administration notified BMLTA Rules, 2026, on July 3. It comprised Rule 24 that provided deemed approval to projects prior to the notification of the rules. There are two PILs challenging the constitutionality of Rule 24, apart from the three PILs challenging tunnel roads. Fearing the court may strike down Rule 24, the administration has now amended the Act itself to accord approval for all the unscientific car-centric projects, " he alleged.

As tunnel roads project was not approved by BMLTA as per Section 19 of the Act Section 19 of the Act amended for the projects taken up between 2023 when BMLTA Act came into force and BMLTA Rules, 2026 was notified, to be "deemed approved"Tunnel Road project to take up 6 acres of Lalbagh land temporarily during construction and 1 acre permanently, in violation of Section 5 of The Karnataka Administration Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975 Section 5 of the Act amended allowing 5% of the park or garden lands to be alienated by means of sale, lease, gift, exchange, mortgage for "public purposes" No scrutiny of the project by Bengaluru Metropolitan Planning Committee (BMPC) violating Article 243ZE of the Constitution of India BMPC that was constituted in 2014 lapsed with the term of the then state administration in 2018 and has never been reconstituted since thenProject neither part of the Revised Master Plan – 2015 nor planned as a part of the master plan preparation process, violating Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961 Draft RMP-2031 was withdrawn by the state administration over not being in sync with the Comprehensive Mobility Plan by BMRCL in 2020 and the Draft RMP-2041 is still in the works, contentions regarding statutory non-compliance of the tunnel road project in the 3 PILs Status now Violation of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Authority Act, 2022. The RMP-2015 which is in force in the city, doesn't include the tunnel road project, nor was it planned as part of the exercise of drawing up RMP-2041.

Likewise, The Karnataka Administration Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026. It allows alienation of 5% of parks and garden lands for public purposes, was additionally passed. While six acres will be applied temporarily for construction, the tunnel road project will need one acre of Lalbagh land. The Karnataka Administration Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, doesn't allow this and the three PILs flagged the tunnel road as violating this law by taking over Lalbagh land.

Both bills were cleared by the State Cabinet on Friday and passed in both houses of the legislature on Monday, against the backdrop of protests by BJP members. During the passage of the Bill, BJP and JD(S) members raised slogans such as "carpet for Adani and biscuit for Bengaluru public", accusing the administration of moving closer to Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani in connection with the tunnel project.

N.S. Mukunda, one of the petitioners in the High Court against the tunnel road project, condemned the amendments. It he described as "an attempt to make some of their grounds infructuous in retrospect". He remarked this was a "deeply undemocratic move and they will fight it in the court and also petition the Governor appealing him to not give them (the amendment Bills) his assent".

"This is additionally a form of Akrama-Sakrama. It we have been fighting in the court as well. If the governments adopt this strategy, citizens can win no legal battle against it. This is perverse, " Mr. Mukunda remarked.

Nevertheless, the three PILs have flagged other statutory non-compliances apart from these two laws, such as no approval from Bengaluru Metropolitan Planning Committee (BMPC), and the project not being part of the Revised Master Plan – 2015.

In practice, the High Court on July 16, 2026, directed that any contract for the tunnel road project will be subject to the outcome of the three PILs challenging the project. The court additionally stated the administration should inform the contractors in writing that the contract would be subject to the final outcome of the petitions. The next hearing was scheduled for August 20, but did not come up for hearing that day. Published – August 24, 2026 10: 28 pm IST.

Taken together, the developments around day after Gautam Adani meets D.K. Shivakumar, Karnataka government amends two laws point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.