New Delhi, July 2 -- The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) faced backlash after its lawyer questioned why people leave home early with no work during court proceedings about a 40-hour traffic jam in Madhya Pradesh that resulted in three deaths.

"Why do people even leave home so early without any work?" a report by NDTV quoted the NHAI lawyer. Both judiciary and the public were surprised by his statement.

The lawyer's comments come during the hearing of a case regarding a massive traffic jam stretching more than eight kilometres, where over 4,000 vehicles were stranded on Friday, June 27. Three people lost their lives. Kamal Panchal, 62, from Indore, reportedly died of a heart attack caused by the heat inside the vehicle. The ot...