A plea seeking a direction of the Kerala High Court to the State government and the police to ensure Congress party's Bharat Jodo Yatra does not take over the entire road has been filed.

The public interest litigation (PIL) seeks to ensure the yatra, led by Waynad MP Rahul Gandhi, only takes up half of the road and leave the rest for free flow of vehicles.

The petition filed by advocate Vijayan K is listed for hearing on Thursday before a Bench of Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly.

Besides regulating the march, which began from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7 and intends to cover 3,570 km 150 days to reach Kashmir, the PIL also seeks directions to get from the Congress expenses incurred in deployment of the huge police force along the yatra route.

The PIL also arrayed as parties the Congress, Rahul Gandhi, KPCC president K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan.

The petition contends that "inaction on the part of the respondents (State, police and Congress) in regulating the procession in such a way that it does not affect the public was quite arbitrary, illegal and unjust."

It further contends that the manner of conducting the procession obstructed the free flow of traffic and movement of the general public and was "bringing the life of the common man to a halt in the areas through which it passes."