HC dismisses PIL against Namma Metro fare hike

The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the 71% fare hike in Namma Metro, stating that the increase was in accordance with the law.

The petition was filed by Sanath Kumar Shetty and others, alleging that the fare hike was illegal. The bench, consisting of Chief Justice N.V. Anjaria and Justice K.V. Aravind, clarified that under Section 33 of the Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002, the fare hike was permissible.

The court further stated that the metro administration has the authority to set fares periodically. A pricing committee had been formed, and based on its recommendations, the fare was increased. The court emphasized that the expert committee, which studied all aspects of the price hike, had recommended it, and the judiciary could not review the points examined by the experts.

The decision to consider the pricing committee’s views was deemed a good one, and the court reiterated that it could not intervene in decisions unless there were legal violations. The PIL was dismissed, with the court stating that there was no evidence of legal violations in the fare increase.

The petitioners’ claim was rejected as a betrayal of trust, and the actions of BMRC were not considered condemnable.

Earlier, the petitioner’s lawyer had requested BMRC to limit the fare hike to no more than 25%, suggesting that the fare should have increased by only 15-20%. However, BMRC announced a 71% hike in February, leading to public outrage.