Overview

• A division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Joshi orally said it was inclined to grant a full-fledged stay of the ban.
• The court noted the government did not produce a dedicated bike-taxi policy within the month it was given and posted the appeals for October 15.
• Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty pointed to the newly notified Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers Act, saying it protects riders’ interests.
• The bench questioned whether that law addresses bike-taxi operations and heard the AG’s claim that aggregators were in contempt for continuing services.
• The statewide suspension has been in place since June 16 following an April single-judge order under Section 93, with 1.2 lakh bikes registered in Bengaluru and over six lakh passengers relying on the service; the court asked authorities to avoid coercive action against individual riders.