Overview
- A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and A.G. Masih held that private operators cannot ply inter-state routes reserved for a State Road Transport Corporation.
- The ruling resolves a reciprocal-permit dispute involving UPSRTC, MP SRTC and private operators on overlapping routes between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
- The Court directed the Principal Secretaries of the two states’ transport departments to meet within three months to work out permit modalities that safeguard public interest.
- In its observations, the Court lauded a quantum leap in road infrastructure, noting smoother expressways, faster travel times and expanded last-mile connectivity.
- The judgment highlighted digitalisation gains such as e-ticketing and live tracking yet flagged uneven service where ageing buses still operate despite e-bus deployment elsewhere.