Bengaluru, Aug. 21 -- Bike taxis resumed operations across Karnataka today, a day after the High Court rejected state government's submissions, terming the ban legally unsustainable and detrimental to livelihoods.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru observed that such services are lawful and have already been permitted in at least 13 states. Emphasising that bike taxis are not a luxury but an affordable necessity for last-mile urban connectivity, the bench said the state cannot deny employment on the pretext of policy absence.
"A mere lack of regulation cannot be the basis for a blanket ban that deprives thousands of their right to work under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution," the bench remarked while rejecting the g...