Today, On 10th July, OLA has appealed to the Karnataka High Court, arguing that the state’s ban on bike taxis infringes on the fundamental right to conduct trade under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, as upheld by a single bench ruling.
The Karnataka High Court continued hearing the appeals filed by bike taxi service providers Rapido, Uber, and Ola.
These companies have challenged a previous order by a single judge which had stopped bike taxi operations in Karnataka until a proper regulatory policy is put in place.
During the hearing, the lawyers representing the petitioners argued that the existing law under the Motor Vehicles Act already allows the grant of two-wheeler transport permits.
They said that the State government cannot refuse these permits without a valid legal reason. According to them, denying such permits without a legal framework is arbitrary and unjustified.
The petitioners also strongly opposed the argument made by the Karnataka government that bike taxis pose a safety risk, especially to women. They said that this reasoning is not acceptable because it takes away the right of women to choose how they want to travel.
One of the lawyers said,
“Women have the autonomy to decide how they want to travel.”
Also Read: “Women Prefer Bike Taxis”: Karnataka HC Hears Challenge to Ban on Service
In appeals from various bike taxi Service providers, including Uber India, Rapido, and OLA, against a single bench ruling that upheld the state government’s ban on bike taxis, ANI Technologies (OLA) argued before the Karnataka High Court that the state’s action infringes on the Service providers’ fundamental right to conduct trade as protected under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution.
Senior Advocate Arun Kumar, representing the aggregator, pointed out that while the single judge acknowledged that a motorcycle can be registered and qualifies for a carriage permit, it was determined that the state had made a policy decision to prohibit bike taxis.
The Court listened to the submissions but did not pass any final decision today.
The hearing was adjourned and will continue on another date soon.