Cancellation of route permits: HC notice to Punjab transport minister Raja Warring, others

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 22

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday issued notice, among others, to Punjab Transport Minister Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on a petition claiming that he was acting in furtherance of political vendetta.

The petition has been filed by New Deep Bus Service through partner Hardeep Singh Dhillon against the cancellation of route permits.

Taking up the petition, the Bench of Justice Ajay Tewari and Justice Pankaj Jain also put the State of Punjab and the transport department on notice.

In its petition filed through counsel Rohit Sud and Amandeep Singh Talwar, the petitioner company was seeking the quashing of orders dated November 12, whereby the permits granted to the petitioners were cancelled, “illegally, arbitrarily and with mala fide intent”.

The petitioner was also seeking stay on the operation, implementation and execution of the impugned orders and any other coercive measures for recovery of alleged tax during the pendency of the present writ petition.

Directions were also sought for unconditional release of impounded buses during the pendency of the petition. The petitioner claimed one of the partner of the petitioner’s firms, Hardeep Singh Dhillon, was a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal and was the contesting candidate for the party against Congress party candidate, who was now the transport minister.

“In furtherance of his political vendetta, the respondent has utilised the State machinery to scuttle the business of the petitioners by getting the impugned orders passed. The impugned orders have purportedly been passed under Section 103 of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, which provides no power or jurisdiction to take action for violation of condition of a permit issued under Chapter V of the MV Act,” it was added.

The petition added the petitioners were not only penalised, action was not taken against similarly placed persons associated with the Indian National Congress. Besides this, notice or opportunity of hearing was not granted before passing the impugned orders.

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