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PETITIONER: NANHU & ORS. ETC.

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: DELHI ADMINISTRATION & ORS.

DATE OF JUDGMENT05/08/1980

BENCH: KRISHNAIYER, V.R. BENCH: KRISHNAIYER, V.R. PATHAK, R.S. REDDY, O. CHINNAPPA (J)

CITATION:  1981 SCR  (1) 373

ACT:      Cycle-Rickshaw Bye-Law 1960-Bye-Law 3(1) Cycle Rickshaw Drivers-Court Framing Scheme.

HEADNOTE:      The Delhi  Municipal Corporation Which framed the Cycle Rickshaw Bye  Law of  1960 under  section 481  of the  Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 amended Bye-law 3 in 1976 to provide that  ’no person  shall keep or ply for hire a cycle rickshaw in Delhi unless he himself is the owner thereof and holds a licence granted in that behalf’.      In writ petitions challenging the provision: ^      HELD:      In Azad  Rickshaw Pullers  Union Amritsar  & others  v. State of Punjab & others, [1981] I SCR 366 a scheme had been worked  out   to  help   the  rickshaw  pliers  of  Amritsar Municipality to become owners of cycle rickshaws. [374 A-B]      2. The  Delhi Administration will effectively publicize and notify  applications for  licences for  plying of  cycle rickshaws and  all those  who apply  will be  considered  on their merits  including length  of service as cycle rickshaw pliers. The  criteria that  the  Delhi  Administration  will adopt must be reasonable and relevant. [374 D]      3. On  the  basis  of  reasonable  criteria  the  Delhi Administration   will   direct   the   concerned   Municipal authorities to  grant licences  for plying rickshaws and the applicants so  chosen are  not  owners  themselves  all  the facilities indicated  in the Amritsar order will be extended to such cycle rickshaw pliers fixing reasonable time limits. [374F]

JUDGMENT:      ORIGINAL  JURISDICTION:  Writ  Petition  Nos.  841  and 728/1980.                     (Under Article 32 of the Constitution.)      R. S.  Sharma and  S. M. Ashri for the Petitioner in WP Nos. 841 and 728/80.      K. Parasaran,  So]. Gen].  B. P.  Maheshwari and Suresh Seth for the RR in WP Nos. 841 and 728.

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    The Judgment of the Court was delivered by      KRISHNA IYER, J.-We have disposed of today applications from cycle  rickshaw pliers of Amritsar Municipality where a scheme has  been worked  out to  help them  become owners of cycle rickshaws. A 374 similar scheme, says the Solicitor-General appearing for the Delhi  Administration,   will  be   extended  to  the  Delhi territory. We,  therefore, annex  a copy  of the judgment in Writ Petitions  Nos.  839  of  1979  and  563  of  1979-Azad Rickshaw Pullers  Union, Amritsar  and others  v.  State  of Punjab &  others and  Nanak Chand  and others  v.  State  of Punjab and others, respectively to this judgment.      There is  another problem  which arises  in  these  two cases and  that is  that the  Delhi Administration has put a ceiling on  the total  number of cycle rickshaws permissible to be  plied within its territory perhaps-we do not know for certain-this number  may not  accommodate all the applicants for cycle  rickshaws applying  licencees. We  are told  that apart from  the applicants in this Court under Article 32 of the Constitution,  there are  numerous petitioners  who have approached the  High Court of Delhi under Article 226 of the Constitution and  yet others  who have  filed suits in civil courts for  the same relief. All that we can do is to accept the suggestion  made by  the learned  Solicitor-General that the Delhi  Administration  will  effectively  publicize  and notify  applications  for  licencees  for  plying  of  cycle rickshaws and  all those  who apply  will be  considered  on their merits  including length  of service as cycle rickshaw pliers. The  criteria that  the  Delhi  Administration  will adopt must  be reasonable and relevant; otherwise it will be open to  the aggrieved  parties to  challenge the selection. Likewise we  do not  want to  fetter the  rights of  parties aggrieved if  the ceiling upon the total number of rickshaws permissible within the Delhi territory is arbitrary.      On  the   basis  of   reasonable  criteria   the  Delhi Administration   will   direct   the   concerned   Municipal authorities to  grant licences  for plying  rickshaws and if the applicants  so chosen  are not owners themselves all the facilities we  have indicated  in the Amritsar order will be extended to  such cycle  rickshaw pliers  fixing  reasonable time  limits.  With  these  directions  we  dispose  of  the applications. Until  fresh licences  are issued by the Delhi Administration and  the Municipal  authorities  the  present petitioners will be allowed to ply their cycle rickshaws. N.V.K. 375