The Kerala High Court found no grounds to interfere with the Priyadarshini free bus travel scheme. (Representative image)

Kerala HC upholds free bus travel scheme for women and trans persons

The Kerala High Court dismissed a plea against the Priyadarshini free travel scheme for women and transgender persons. The ruling endorsed the government's policy choice and found no statutory breach.

by · India Today

In Short

  • High Court found no legal basis to interfere with government policy
  • Judges said bus scheme did not violate any existing statutory provision
  • Petitioner alleged gender bias, weak targeting norms and hasty approval process

The Kerala High Court on Monday dismissed a plea challenging the UDF government's Priyadarshini Scheme, which provides free travel for women and transgender persons on ordinary KSRTC buses. The court said the scheme was a policy decision of the government and was meant to benefit working-class women.

A division bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar VM found no grounds to interfere with the scheme. It also observed that there was nothing in the policy that went against any statutory provision.

The plea was filed by Muhammed Firdouz, who described himself as a public-spirited citizen and taxpayer. In his petition, he argued that the scheme was discriminatory and violated Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution. He said it offered free bus travel to women and transgender persons without any income ceiling, residency requirement or identified disadvantage that it was meant to address.

The petitioner also claimed that the scheme would place a burden of around Rs 2 crore a day on the public exchequer, taking the annual cost to nearly Rs 800 crore. The plea further questioned the way the policy was approved and the speed at which it was implemented.

Opposing the petition, the state government told the court that similar schemes were already in place in several states, including Delhi, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal. After hearing both sides, the court dismissed the petition.

The Priyadarshini scheme was one of the five major guarantees promised by the UDF during the Assembly election campaign, and it was implemented after the government assumed office to provide free travel for women and transgender persons on ordinary KSRTC services.

- Ends