A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Wednesday declined to interfere, for the time being, with the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation order allowing women passengers and other passengers in the special service buses being operated by the KSRTC for Sabarimala pilgrims.
The Bench comprising Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Anu Sivaraman, however, directed the State government and the KSRTC to file an affidavit in response to a writ petition challenging the order.
The court observed that the issue relating to the special service was a recurring problem every Sabarimala season. Therefore it needed to be examined further.
The petition was filed by the Centre for Consumer Education, Pala. According to it, the order was illegal. It was against the customs and practice as well as the law. The buses were being operated from various centres near railway stations where a large number of Sabarimala pilgrims alighted. The KSRTC had directed that before starting the service, it should be ensured that all seats were filled.
News Source : The Hindu
