Supreme Court Upholds 50% Bus Fare Discount for Women in Himachal Pradesh

The Supreme Court has upheld the decision to provide a 50% bus fare discount to women in Himachal Pradesh. The bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjwal Bhuyan rejected the petition filed by private bus operator Ramesh Kamal. The court refused to interfere with the decision taken by the Himachal Pradesh High Court. On December 16, 2022, the bench of Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Veerendra Singh upheld the government’s decision to provide relief to women’s education.

This decision aims to assist girls in rural areas who often have to drop out of school due to financial constraints. The court emphasized that providing concessions to specific sections of society is a legitimate policy decision by the government. Overturning such decisions would be against Article 15 of the Indian Constitution. The court pointed out that various states across the country have implemented similar schemes to empower women and children. The court highlighted that the decision to provide bus fare concessions to women has been taken by several other states before Himachal Pradesh.

The court stated that if women are provided with discounted bus fares, it would encourage more women to travel by buses. This would create an environment where women do not feel isolated while traveling. The court rejected the argument that this policy would discriminate against men, emphasizing that such policies aimed at social empowerment are constitutional and valid.

The proposal for providing women with discounted bus fares was sent to the government by the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation. The decision to provide the discount was made after obtaining cabinet approval. The High Court had previously endorsed this decision, recognizing the positive impact it would have on the education of rural girls.

Ramesh Kamal, the private bus operator, challenged this decision in the Supreme Court, arguing that providing discounted bus fares only to women is against the principles of equality. He contended that fares should be equal for both men and women. However, the Supreme Court upheld the decision, indicating its support for such affirmative policies that aim to empower specific sections of society.

Overall, the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the 50% bus fare discount for women in Himachal Pradesh reaffirms the importance of policy measures that promote gender equality and social upliftment.