Khaitan & Co, instructing senior advocate Rajiv Nayar, has been representing US-based cab booking app Uber, which today withdrew its plea filed in the Delhi high court against the ban imposed on it by the Delhi government.
Khaitan Bangalore partner Ganesh Prasad, Delhi partners Ajay Bhargava and Mohit Abraham are acting for Uber, advising on litigation across India. Prasad declined to comment when contacted.
The technology company has also drafted in former Amarchand Mangaldas lobbying and policy partner Suhaan Mukerji, whose 2013 start-up PLR Chambers has been handling governmental relations and lobbying of the transport ministry according to sources.
Mukerji did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Following the alleged rape of a 27-year-old woman in the national capital by a Uber driver, the transport department of the Delhi government had banned the services of app based taxis.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher allowed the company to withdraw the plea after the transport department passed its order on Uber’s plea against the ban.
In its order passed 1 January, the Delhi transport authority said, “there are no grounds to review the ban imposed,” on Uber along with its domestic counterpart Ola Cabs.
Uber also told the court that it is the only company that is trying to comply with the court’s order, while Ola continued plying on Delhi’s roads, even after the government banned the operation of app based cab services.
However, Delhi government counsel Zubeda Begum said the ban extended both to Ola and Uber.
The high court had directed the transport department to hear Uber after it approached the court against the ban.
Both the companies have been found guilty of violating the Motor Vehicles Act since they were plying vehicles with All India Tourist permits within the national capital region, the department said.
They were allegedly flouting several other rules such as running non-compressed natural gas (CNG) taxis.
Web-based taxi companies, including Uber and Ola Cabs, were banned from operating in Delhi 8 December 2014 after a Uber cab driver allegedly raped a woman.
Comments
The High Court quashed both the bans imposed by the Delhi and Union Government on the first hearing itself and directed the Delhi Govt to give Ola a hearing and then pass a reasoned order. However, Uber’s attempt to capitalize and imitate Ola’s success failed miserably when their challenge to the same ban was rejected by the High Court. However, they did manage to get the consolation prize of being afforded a post-facto hearing and the direction to the Transport authority to pass an order. Uber’s chagrin was clear when during the hearing before the High Court they accused Ola of operating its taxis despite the ban. Conveniently, they didn’t reveal that the ban was set aside as far Ola was concerned and therefore Ola was entitled to operate.