The Madras High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain two public interest litigation petitions filed against the recent increase in government bus fares.
However, the first bench headed by Chief Justice Indira Banerjee directed the government to take immediate steps to display fare charts in all the government and private buses, prominently.
"There is no doubt that any price hike, including the bus fare hike, would affect the people. However, fair fixation is a matter of policy, in which the high court cannot interfere," the bench said and disposed of the plea.
The judges made it clear that courts could interfere in such fiscal decisions of the government only in exceptional and rarest of rare cases where the increase in fares was found to be so steep that it would not permit the judicial conscience of the court to accept such a revision.
“There can hardly be any doubt that the hike will affect users of bus services, but unfortunately, courts cannot interfere in this matter,” the Bench said.
Meanwhile, protests were held by the students of Tamil Nadu against the recently implemented bus fare hike in the state. Protests were reported Chennai, Coimbatore, Thanjavur and other parts.
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