In a significant relief for lakhs of commuters, the Supreme Court has declared the Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) flyway toll-free, dismissing a petition filed by a private company that had challenged the Allahabad High Court's 2016 order to cease toll collection.

The apex court upheld the High Court's finding that the company had already recouped its investment, returns, interest, and construction costs for the 8-lane flyway and was therefore not entitled to further payments.

"There is no reason for the collection of the user or toll fee to continue. We hold that the agreement (for toll collection) is invalid," a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said.

The bench also reprimanded the NOIDA authority for outsourcing toll collection to the private firm Noida Toll Bridge Company Limited (NTBCL), noting that it had led to unjust enrichment. The court further criticized the decision to award the contract to NTBCL, calling it "unjust and unfair."

In October 2016, the Allahabad High Court ruled that no toll should be collected from users of the DND flyway, stating that the company had already recouped enough toll revenue over the ten years since the flyway's opening in 2001. This order came after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Federation of Noida Residents' Welfare Association.