Now Reading: Karnataka High Court issues notice on gig workers law challenge
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Karnataka High Court issues notice on gig workers law challenge
The Karnataka High Court has issued notices to the central and state governments on a petition by Uber India challenging the constitutional validity of the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and…
The Story in Brief
The Karnataka High Court has issued notices to the central and state governments on a petition by Uber India challenging the constitutional validity of the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025. Justice Suraj Govindaraj directed the Registry to club Uber’s case with similar pleas by IAMAI, Swiggy, Zomato and others. The court also clarified that Uber’s deadline to deposit the welfare cess will run from July 28.
Separately, the Karnataka Transport Department has issued show-cause notices to Ola, Uber, Rapido and Namma Yatri for allegedly charging fares above the government-prescribed rates. The department alleges violations of the Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016. The aggregators have seven days to submit explanations, after which action may be taken under Rule 11.
The Indian Opinion
Two parallel actions show the state tightening rules on platform companies, but the narrative that Karnataka is hostile to innovation is one-sided. The High Court challenge focuses on whether the welfare cess is constitutional, while the Transport Department is enforcing fare rules that have existed for years. The real test will be whether the companies comply with the court’s deadline and whether the fare notices lead to actual penalties or just more litigation.
Sources (2): thehansindia.com, siasat.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
