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One Seat Too Few: MP High Court Cracks Down on Bus Safety Norms
In a ruling blending permit disputes with a stern safety wake-up call, the led by Justice Vivek Jain on , 2026, dismissed a petition by Ram Milan Rai challenging the cancellation of his deluxe air-conditioned stage carriage bus permit. The had revoked it at the behest of rival operator Respondent No. 2, citing non-compliance with . Beyond upholding the order, the court issued landmark directions to statewide, targeting widespread safety lapses in buses.
Rival Operators Clash Over Route Dominance
The saga began with competing bids for a lucrative bus route permit. Petitioner Ram Milan Rai secured and lifted his permit on , following a grant order on . His rival, Respondent No. 2, had filed earlier, with a hearing on and grant on , but lifted it later on . The initially favored Rai, but STAT intervened on revision, axing the permit primarily because Rai's bus boasted only 36 seats total —one short of the 35 passengers + 2 (driver and conductor) mandated for deluxe AC buses under Rule 77(1-A) of the .
A secondary flashpoint: the bus's single entry-cum-exit door on the left side, flouting 's requirement for separate entrance/exit doors on the left plus an emergency exit on the right or rear.
Petitioner's Stand: No Locus, No Fault
Rai's counsel, , fired on two fronts. First, : Respondent No. 2 wasn't a "rival route operator" when Rai lifted his permit on May 2, as the rival only activated theirs on . Thus, no standing to object or revise. Second, seating quibble : 36 seats suffice since conductors aren't always mandatory, and the registration certificate lists "36 in all."
Respondents, via , countered fiercely: Timeline trumps—rival's application and grant predated Rai's, establishing rivalry by grant date. On specs, counsel for the State hammered Rule 77 's explicit "35+2" (post-2014 amendment including driver/conductor) and barring drivers from plying sans conductor.
Court Sidesteps Locus, Zeroes in on Rule Violations
Justice Jain deemed locus "not so much relevant," piercing straight to statutory non-compliance. The registration's "36 (in all)" couldn't mask the shortfall:
Rule 77
demands 37 total for deluxe AC stage carriages.
"This is the minimum seating capacity as required,"
the court ruled, rejecting no-conductor claims.
mandates one, rendering solo-driver operation illegal.
On doors, the court noted the bus's lone left-side door but deferred full probe since STAT hadn't ruled on it. Still, it flagged 's universality for public service vehicles—including stage carriages—exempting only small cabs or specific constructs, not tourist buses wholesale.
Drawing from the ( empowers states on fittings), the bench distinguished vehicle types: stage carriages aren't tourist vehicles excused from dual doors.
Stark Safety Warnings That Echo Nationwide
"It is a very sorry state of affairs that many airconditioned buses, and even non-airconditioned luxury buses and sleeper buses, are not having two doors on left and an additional emergency door... A large number of lives and properties are being lost in fire accidents involving luxury buses is well known."
"The height of laxity is that the State has not ensured two gates on left side on almost any of the said vehicles, and permits are being issued indiscriminately."
"A single door seriously compromises lives and properties carried in buses at the time of accidents and fire incidents. This Court... is only reminding [the State] of the Rule framed by the State itself."
These observations, mirroring reports of systemic failures, underscore commercial shortcuts endangering passengers.
Permit Stays Scrapped, Safety Enforcement Ordered
The petition "fails and is dismissed"—no interference with STAT's cancellation. Broader impact: Under supervisory powers, RTAs must probe pre-2012 registered stage carriages and tourist buses for violations. Non-compliant operations halt within 45 days until fixed. Affidavits from Transport top brass due; relist .
This could ground swathes of buses, forcing retrofits amid operator pushback on costs or conductor logistics. Yet, it prioritizes safety, potentially curbing fire tragedies and setting precedent for rigorous RTA scrutiny in permit grants.
(Case: )
