The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Maharashtra government to file an affidavit detailing the status of implementing licensing and cab aggregator rules in the state.

Additional Public Prosecutor Poornima Kantharia informed the court that the rules are still being framed. “Objections have been sought from public,” submitted Kantharia.

The bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar asked Kantharia to submit these details in an affidavit with further specifics.

The bench was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Amitoj Inder Singh, a professional squash player, raising concerns about passenger safety in vehicles operated by transport aggregators.

Singh’s plea stems from a personal experience in 2018 when he was allegedly assaulted by an aggregator cab driver. Singh claimed that the injuries he sustained caused permanent damage. Despite contacting the aggregator cab service, he was informed that they could do no more than remove the driver from their platform since he was only a “driver partner.”

The petition, filed through advocates Wesley Menezes and Ayan Bhattacharya, highlighted widespread safety issues for passengers and a lack of accountability on the part of aggregator platforms. They pointed to numerous incidents nationwide where cab platforms allegedly avoided responsibility for such matters.

Menezes argued that the Central Government had issued ‘Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines-2020’ on November 27, 2020, which are statutory. However, passenger safety in aggregator vehicles remains a concern due to the lack of effective implementation.

The petitioner sought directions to ensure the enforcement of these guidelines and implement additional measures for passenger safety.

In response, the court directed the state government to submit a detailed affidavit within three weeks, outlining the steps taken so far. The PIL will be heard again on January 29, 2025.