The Supreme Court on Monday allowed authorities to go ahead with the development of the Rs 2250 crore Bangalore-Mysore expressway project.

The court ruled that the land earmarked for the purpose should not be alienated.

A bench comprising Chief Justice R C Lahoti and Justice P K Balasubramanyam modified its earlier order staying an earlier Karnataka high court order pertaining to the project.

With this order of the apex court, the work on the four-lane Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor  project will continue.

• HC orders prosecution of Karnataka chief secretary

The high court had, in an earlier order, directed Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises not to alienate land in any manner.

 Besides directing prosecution of the chief secretary and an under-secretary on charges of "perjury" and witholding documents in the expressway project, the high court had also quashed the government order constituting an expert committee and review committee to review the project and probe whether irregularities had taken place in allotment of land for the project, being executed by NICE.

On the appeal by the affected parties, the apex court had stayed the prosecution of the chief secretary and under secretary. The state had filed two appeals, one against the direction for prosecution of the senior bureaucrats and the other against the quashing of the expert committee.