Karnataka High Court Upholds Auto-Rickshaw Service Charge Cap

The Karnataka High Court has declined to stay an order that limits service charges for auto-rickshaw rides booked through Ola, Uber, and Rapido. The court deferred the final hearing to August 29 but granted a stay on forwarding the order to the Competition Commission of India.

A two-judge bench of the Karnataka High Court in Bengaluru has declined to stay an order of a single-judge bench. This order upheld the state government's mandate, capping service charges at five percent for auto-rickshaw rides booked through platforms like Ola, Uber, and Rapido.

The appeal against the single-judge's decision was heard by Chief Justice N V Anjaria and Justice K V Arvind. The division bench decided not to issue an interim injunction and deferred the final hearing to August 29.

However, the court granted a stay on the directive that required the Registrar (Judicial) to forward a copy of the single-judge's order to the Chairman of the Competition Commission of India.

(With inputs from agencies.)