The Karnataka government has moved the Supreme Court of India challenging a recent Karnataka High Court judgment that lifted the ban on bike taxi services in the State [State of Karnataka Vs ANI Technologies].

The appeal was filed last week and is yet to be listed for hearing.

The appeal has been filed nearly 3 months after the Karnataka High Court held that a blanket prohibition on bike taxis was unconstitutional and contrary to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

The High Court had ruled that the State cannot refuse permits merely because the vehicle is a motorcycle.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi passed the order on appeals filed by taxi aggregators such as Ola, Uber and Rapido.

The Bench set aside an April 2025 order of a single-judge that had directed bike taxi operations to be halted until the State frames a regulatory policy.

Single-judge Justice B Shyam Prasad held that bike taxi services cannot continue in the absence of a formal legal policy.

Cab aggregators and driver associations challenged that order before a Division Bench.

The Division Bench held that prohibiting motorcycles from being used as contract carriages amounted to an unreasonable restriction on the right to trade under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution.

It observed that motorcycles fall within the definition of “transport vehicles” under the Motor Vehicles Act, and therefore, cannot be excluded from being granted permits as taxis.

The Court clarified that while the State is free to regulate bike taxis and impose conditions under Section 74(2) of the Act, it cannot reject applications solely on the ground that the vehicle is a motorcycle.

With the State now moving the Supreme Court, the legality and regulation of bike taxis is set to face final scrutiny at the national level.