Delhi High Court: Issues Notice to Ola, Uber, Rapido on Women's Safety PIL

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to cab-hailing platforms Uber, Ola, and Rapido as well as the Central and the State governments, on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking directions to ensure the safety of women travelling in app-based taxi services. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed the parties to file their replies. “We want to make the private operators of the taxi apps accountable. That is the reason we are issuing notices,” the Court underscored.It said that the case will be heard next on December 16. Delhi High Court We want to make the private operators of the taxi apps accountable.The Bench passed the order while dealing with a PIL filed by one Aditya Sehgal.The counsel appearing for Sehgal told the Court that app-based companies operate more than two lakh cabs in the Delhi-NCR region but there is no checking of the drivers at night. “There is no checking of these drivers after8 o'clock, or 9 o'clock, whether they are operating for the airport or for any strategic location, whether they are drunk or not,” the counsel stated. In his plea, Sehgal has sought a comprehensive overhaul of safety mechanisms for women using app-based cabs, bike-taxis and ride-hailing services. The plea seeks measures to ensure that the driver and vehicle undertaking a ride match the details displayed on the application. It demands that unauthorised substitutions should al