1. IN all these writ petitions, the same questions of law arises.

2. W. P. No. 4880 of 2001 is filed by one n. Vishwanathan, W. P. No. 4733 of 2001 by nisar ahmed and W. P. No. 5603 of 2001 by the Karnataka state transport corporation.

In all these writ petitions, petitioners have questioned the grant of counter-signature made by the Karnataka state transport authority, in favour of the second respondent-venkateshwara bus union in respect of the variations of the route "chikkaballapur to tirupathi" with an additional vehicle.

3. FACTS will be referred to with reference to W. P. No. 4880 of 2001.

4. THE second respondent-venkateshwara bus union is a stage carriage operator, operating a stage carriage service on the route "tirupathi to chikkaballapur'' under a permit granted by the transport authority of Andhra Pradesh under the old Motor Vehicles Act, 1939 in pursuance of an inter-state agreement entered into between the state of Andhra Pradesh and karnataka.

He had sought for variation of the said permit under Section 57 (8) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939, as it existed then by inclusion of an additional trip to be operated by an additional vehicle. The said application wa