The Karnataka High Court on Monday granted the state government four more weeks' to arrive at an amicable solution with all stakeholders on the issue of app-based auto-rickshaw cab services.
Justice C M Poonacha granted time on the request placed by the state government and extended the interim order passed till the next date of hearing.
In the interim order passed on October 14, the court had said that the auto rickshaw aggregate services shall follow the fare fixed by the state government in November 2021, with an additional 10 per cent and the applicable GST on the services rendered by them until the fare fixation by the state government.
During the hearing, the government advocate filed an application seeking extension of time to enable the state government to arrive at an amicable solution with all stakeholders. It was submitted that in the previous time granted by the court, the consultation process was initiated.
The transport aggregators Ola, Uber and others have challenged the notice, dated October 6, and a ban order, dated October 11, on app-based auto rickshaw cabs. According to one of the petitioners, the Karnataka On-demand Transportation Technology Aggregators (KODTTA) Rules, 2016, permit aggregation of a taxi, defined under Rule 2 (7), as a motor cab and it is no longer res integra that an auto rickshaw cab is a motor cab. The petition thus challenged both the notice and the ban order as one without merit.