The Bombay High Court refused to grant interim relief on Tuesday in a petition filed against the Centre's decision to hike railway fares on June 20.
The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Mumbai Grahak Panchayat (MGP), which had sought interim protection or stay against such a steep hike.
“The power to hike the fare lies with the central government as per the Railways Act, 1989. As per the Act, there is no illegality as the decision can be taken without permission of Parliament. Hence no case of interim relief is made out of it,” said Justice Abhay Oka.
While presenting the case, the petitioner’s lawyer Uday Warunjikar argued that in some cases the fare hike on Mumbai suburban train’s season tickets is estimated to be around 186 per cent.
He said the hike comes at a time when the budget session was to start in two weeks. “While we accept that the government is equipped with the power to do the same, we feel that the power should be used in reasonable manner and not to create a precedent,” he argued.
Justice Oka while denying interim relief said the petition would be heard on July 3.
