Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta to Represent Karnataka in Supreme Court Bike-Taxi Appeal
· India · The Hindu, Times of India
Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta will appear for the Karnataka government in its Supreme Court appeal against a Karnataka High Court decision that allowed bike-taxis to operate as public transport. The state, led by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, argues the High Court ignored low motorcycle safety standards, higher fatality rates, and congestion concerns. Karnataka maintains its restriction on using two-wheelers as taxis is reasonable, proportionate, and in the public interest, while still permitting motorcycles for other commercial uses. The state also cites the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025, which provides statutory protections for gig workers as an alternative livelihood. The High Court's Division Bench had ruled in January 2026 that taxi aggregators and motorcycle owners held a crystallised right to obtain permits under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, overturning an earlier stay on bike-taxi services.
Why it matters
The Supreme Court ruling will determine whether bike-taxi services can legally operate in Karnataka, directly affecting thousands of gig workers and major aggregators while setting a precedent for urban transport regulation across India.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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