High Court Cracks Down on Unauthorised Fourlane Bus Operations, Orders RTO to Decide Route Modification Pleas in 4 Weeks
SHIMLA — In a major ruling addressing transport operations in Himachal Pradesh, the High Court has directed the Regional Transport Authority (RTO), Bilaspur, to ensure that no bus operates on the Nauni four-lane without a valid permit. Delivering a common judgment on a batch of writ petitions—including CWP No. 19695 of 2026 filed by Rajesh Patial and another—Justice Sandeep Sharma emphasized that the state cannot adopt a "pick and choose" policy regarding route enforcement.
The Core Controversy
The litigation was brought forward by private bus operators—such as Tara Devi, Ranjit Singh, Savitri Devi, and Rajesh Patial—who held permits requiring them to ply their buses through traditional routes via Swarghat, Gambharpul, Kallar, and Panjpeeri. However, since November 2024, these operators had been utilizing the four-lane starting from Nauni.
Trouble arose when the RTO issued a communication on October 8, 2026, ordering the private operators to stop using the four-lane. The petitioners argued they were victims of discriminatory enforcement: while private operators were being restricted, other state and inter-state corporations—including the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU), Haryana Roadways, and Punjab Roadways—along with other operators heading to Manali, were allegedly allowed to use the four-lane despite lacking explicit permits for it.
The petitioners also noted that their formal applications seeking modification of their route permits to officially include the four-lane had been pending before the RTO for a considerable time.
State Defense and Action
Representing the respondents, Additional Advocate General Mr. Rajan Kahol, accompanied by RTO Bilaspur Mr. Rajiv Thakur, explained that the crackdown was triggered by an online complaint lodged by local residents of Ghamberpul, Swarghat, Kallar, and Panjpeeri. Residents complained that the diversion of buses onto the four-lane left their local areas deprived of regular bus services.
Acting on directions from the Deputy Commissioner of Bilaspur, authorities began inspecting and challaning vehicles violating their specified route permits—affecting private operators as well as some HRTC and inter-state buses.
While the state maintained that operators must adhere strictly to their permitted paths, Mr. Kahol assured the court that the pending route modification requests would be considered swiftly, and uniform enforcement would be applied.
High Court Directives
Recognizing that the petitioners indeed lacked formal permits to ply on the four-lane, the High Court ruled that immediate relief to use the highway bypassing their designated route could not be granted. However, Justice Sharma underscored that selective enforcement is legally impermissible.
The High Court disposed of the petitions with strict instructions:
No Permit, No Fourlane: RTO Bilaspur must ensure that no bus—whether private or belonging to state transport corporations (such as HRTC, CTU, Punjab, and Haryana Roadways)—operates on the Nauni four-lane without holding a valid permit for that specific route.
Speedy Route Modification: The pending applications filed by the petitioners for route modifications must be decided expeditiously within four weeks, following a speaking order after hearing the petitioners and stakeholders.
Police Enforcement: The Superintendent of Police, Bilaspur, has been directed to strictly monitor the highway to prevent any stage or contract carriage buses from plying on the four-lane without proper authorization.
The matter has been listed for compliance review on December 15, 2026.
