Rapido App challenges ban on operation in TN

A division bench comprising Justice S Manikumar and Justice Subramonium Prasad before whom the plea came on the basis that the single judge had failed to answer about the ban being extended to other states in the country, posted the plea for further hearing to August 1 after holding that a clarification ought to be obtained by the Tamil Nadu government in this regard.

Holding that this Court does not find any error in the communication of Commissioner of Police, Cyber Crime Cell, Central Crime Branch (CCB), made to Apple Incorporation and Google, to restrict the access of “Rapido-Mobile App” by the public in Tamil Nadu, the single judge Justice Dr G Jayachandran said, “It is brought to the notice of this Court that, based on the Commissioner’s communication, the Apple Incorporation has withdrawn the ‘Rapido-Mobile App’in toto.”

“It is clear that as of now, the Government of Tamil Nadu is not permitting using of two-wheelers as a transport vehicle and there is a proposal in the Government to bring rules to regulate such taxi aggregators,” the single judge had held.

The petitioner--Transport Service Private Limited--had ventured into share bike business through a website called https://rapido.bike/. It had contended that based on NITI AAYOG recommendations, regulations are made enabling shared mobility through “Ride-Sourcing” and “Ride-Sharing” and hence when there is no illegality in their business, their right of trade cannot be infringed.