A Delhi court today reserved its order on a plea seeking prosecution of app-based cab service providers, including Ola and Uber, for allegedly not adhering to rules to raise fares. Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra said he would pronounce on July 29, the order on the complaint by an NGO seeking summoning of the firms as accused.
"Arguments on the point of summoning heard. Put up for order on July 29," the magistrate said.
The court had earlier treated "dismissed as withdrawn" an application filed by the same NGO seeking lodging of FIR against three app-based cab service providers, Ola, Uber and 'Taxi for Sure', holding that the offences alleged in the plea under the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act were "non-cognisable".
It had allowed complainant NGO Nyayabhoomi to lead evidence in support of the complaint under Section 200, CrPC, that these three cab companies were also allegedly violating permit conditions by running vehicles on diesel and providing point-to-point service in Delhi, violating Supreme Court orders.
The court has concluded recording pre-summoning evidence advanced by the complainant NGO, through its secretary Rakesh Agarwal, in support of the complaint.
The NGO has sought recovery of a whopping Rs 91,000 crore from cab service providers for allegedly not adhering to rules relating to fares and not operating by meters.
It had sought lodging of FIR alleging that by providing taxi and auto rickshaw services, they were violating permit conditions which amounted to commission of offences under sections 66 and 192A of the MV Act.
The complaint was filed against ANI Technologies Pvt Ltd which runs Ola, Uber India Systems Pvt Ltd and the Serendipity Infolabs Pvt Ltd which runs 'Taxi For Sure'.
The NGO has also sought recovery of an additional penalty of Rs 26,000 crore from the firms and jail term for them.
