Inclined to lift ban on bike taxis if...: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday asked whether the State's new law to protect gig workers appropriately covers bike taxi operations and expressed that it was inclined to stay the ban on bike taxis if no rules have been put in place on such operations [ANI Technologies Private Limited v. State of Karnataka, and connected matters].

A Bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi was informed today by the State's Advocate General (AG) Shashi Kiran Shetty that the government has introduced a law to protect gig workers engaged in delivery services.

He added that this law, named the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025, will protect the interests any gig worker, including those working for platforms such as Uber, Ola, Zepto, etc.

Notably, the law also covers gig workers engaged by aggregators that offer ride-sharing services, according to a schedule to the Act. The law received the Governor's assent on September 11 and was notified the following day.

The Court, however, today questioned whether the law suitably covered the operations of bike taxi drivers.

"We are inclined to pass a full-fledged stay at this stage. One month we have given for government to come up with some policy for riders and nothing was done. You came up with it (a policy) for gig workers," the Chief Justice remarked.

"These are for two wheelers milords," AG Shetty began to reply.

"Anyway, we will hear it," the Court said, before adjourning the case till October 15.

The Court was hearing appeals filed by cab aggregators such as ANI Technologies (which owns OLA cabs), Uber, Rapido, some individual bike taxi drivers and the Bike Taxi Welfare Association who have challenged a single-judge's directive to halt bike taxi services in Karnataka until the State frames rules for such operations.

During today's hearing, Advocate General Shetty also told the Court that cab aggregators have been continuing to ply bike taxis in defiance of the court-ordered ban. They are in contempt of court orders, he argued.

In response, the Court requested the State not to take any coercive action against individual bike taxi drivers.

Senior Advocate Dhyan Chinnappa, representing a group of bike taxi owners, urged the Court to consider staying the single-judge order. He pointed out that unlike auto rickshaws which can be parked at auto stands when the vehicles are not in use, there are no bike stands for bike taxis to be parked while the ban continues.

The Court eventually said that it will hear the case further on another date, and adjourned the hearing till October 15.