Judgment :-

1. A white elephant has a mahout. He has helpers. The mahout and helpers ate, belched and slept. They never cared for the elephant. For, it belonged to a great lot of people; the commoners, urchins, the rich and the poor, the bold and the meek, the fleecing and the righteous; yet the citizens of a great nation, living in the “God’s Own Country”. They, unfortunately, by compulsions of their collective living, had to entrust the elephant to be cared for, by hands, chosen not by them. The elephant lost, not only its tiers and tyres, but also, its trunk, tusk, tummy, et al. The helpers changed as they aged. The mahout changed at the trustee’s will. Followed the true owners, apparently faithfully. For, they couldn’t but. And, hadn’t the will, but not to follow. As a bedtime one, this tale would shudder even an infant. As a truth, this stares at the citizenry. This is but, the story of the petitioner, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation, hereinafter referred to in this judgment as the “KSRTC” for brevity, for, it has got to be abbreviated and deserves also to be brined, going by what is noticed hereunder.

2. The official website of KSRTC, downloaded on 3-9-05, shows the