The Madras High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a couple of public interest litigation petitions filed against the recent increase in government bus fares on the ground that courts cannot interfere in fiscal policy decisions of the government unless they were highly arbitrary.
The first Division Bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose, however, directed the State Government to ensure that the revised fares are displayed inside all government as well as private buses plying within the State for the benefit of passengers.
Agreeing with the litigants that any increase in bus fares would certainly cause hardship to the passengers who may include daily wagers, the judges said that it could not be a reason for the courts to determine what should be the amount of increase in fares and what should not be.
Authoring the judgement, the Chief Justice also said that the present revision was not so steep that it could shock the judicial conscience of the court and thereby warrant it to interfere in the decision of the government and direct the latter to reconsider the increase.
