The Supreme Court has assured Rapido for hearing the challenge on ban of the services offered by bike taxi aggregator in Maharashtra after Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi raised concern about it.
Mukul Rohtagi submitted that These are like pillion taxis. It has been ten days [since] these people have been denied their licenses.
A bench headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, assured that the Court would hear the matter soon.
CJI Chandrachud said that the High Court has dismissed the writ petition but we will list it.
The Bombay High Court dismissed a petition that was filed by Rapido against the State government’s refusal for granting a two-wheeler bike taxi aggregator license to the company.
The State government on December 29 said that there is no State policy on licensing of bike taxies and that there is no fare structure policy for bike taxies. and thus it has refused to grant a license to Rapido.
Rapido then took the matter to the Bombay High Court challenging the State government’s refusal to grant the two-wheeler bike taxi aggregator a license.
Initially the High Court took a favourable view of Rapido’s predicament and asked the State to frame a policy for licensing such aggregators. It also asked the State to consider the benefits of having two-wheeler transport and opined that there is nothing to stop the State from framing a policy.
The Court when told that Rapido was continuing to ply its taxis without a license in Maharashtra, it had warned the company of adverse action if the same was not halted.
Rapido then, gave an undertaking before the High Court for suspending all its services in Maharashtra till January 20.
Rapido later moved before the Supreme Court seeking a relaxation on the interim ban so imposed on plying its services in Maharashtra.
As the plea was pending before the top court, the High Court on January 20 rejected Rapido’s petition.