Justice Manmohan's order is in response to the AAP government's plea that it be should be allowed to start a fresh process online to ensure transparency
To increase the number of auto-rickshaws plying on the roads, the Delhi High Court on Monday directed the state government to issue 10,000 fresh permits by March 31, 2017. Justice Manmohan's order is in response to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's plea that it be should be allowed to start a fresh process online to ensure transparency.
The state government had filed an application in an ongoing plea, wherein some auto drivers had moved the court challenging the cancellation of 324 permits. The government had cancelled the permits after receiving complaints of irregularities in the allotment process.
Observing that it was in favour of protecting the 324 individuals whose permits had been cancelled, the HC gave its consent to initiate a fresh process. The court also allowed the 324 drivers, who had purchased autos after getting Letters of Intent (LoI) from the state Transport Department in 2015, to participate in the new process.
"The parties (Delhi government and auto drivers) have agreed that the government should initiate the process for 10,000 three-seater auto rickshaw (TSR) licenses within two weeks," Manmohan said. "They further agreed that applications of those who have a valid badge will be received and processed online. Those who do not have a valid badge will not be allowed to participate," he added.
Besides the 324 drivers affected, there were others who were also given LoIs in 2015 and they, too, are entitled to apply for auto permits.
Meanwhile, the court did not stop the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from probing inot alleged irregularities in the issuance of permits in 2014-15 for plying autos, and asked the agency to file its status report before the next hearing on February 22, 2017. The court further directed the AAP-led government to file its progress report before the next hearing date.
In an earlier hearing, the high court had ruled that it cannot uphold the permits given in 2014-15 as the "entire process was vitiated" and appeared to be "rigged".
According to a CBI status report, it was found that prima facie, of the 251 applications the transport department received on the first day, only four were processed while the rest went missing. In 2014, the government put forth its proposal to issue 10,000 permits to ply autos, and the applications were received from January 12, 2015 onwards. The government had then issued 932 LoIs, which were later scrapped after receiving complaints of irregularities.
In its application, the government claimed that the LoIs were not issued in chronological order, as specified in the advertisement, and that in several instances, the LoIs were given to intermediaries, such as financiers and auto dealers, and not directly to applicants.
Investigating the irregularities, the CBI had claimed that "during investigation, persons who acted as middlemen were examined, which revealed that they submitted certain forms after due date in collusion with officials of auto rickshaw units".
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