HC bars buses without valid route permits from plying on Nauni four-lane

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Shimla, November 6

Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the Regional Transport Officer (RTO), Bilaspur, and the Superintendent of Police to ensure that no bus, whether operated by a private transporter or a state transport corporation, is allowed to ply on the four-lane stretch starting from Nauni without a valid route permit.

Deciding four writ petitions filed by private bus operators through a common judgment, Justice Sandeep Sharma held that the State could not adopt a pick-and-choose policy by insisting that private operators strictly follow their route permits while allowing buses of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU), Punjab Roadways and Haryana Roadways to use the four-lane without the requisite permission. The Court clarified that buses belonging to these corporations, which do not have permits for the four-lane, cannot be allowed to ply on it until their route permits are modified.

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The petitioners had approached the Court alleging discrimination after the Regional Transport Authority, through a communication dated October 8, 2026, directed them to stop using the four-lane. Their existing permits required them to operate through Nauni, Swarghat, Gambharpul and other prescribed stations. They contended that they had been allowed to use the four-lane from Nauni since November 2024, while other transport corporations continued to operate on the same stretch despite allegedly lacking valid permits. The government admitted during the proceedings that several operators, including the petitioners and other transport agencies, had been using the four-lane since November 2024 without the requisite route permits. It also informed the Court that some HRTC buses had been granted temporary permits under Section 99 of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The Court directed the RTO, Bilaspur, to ensure that no bus without a valid permit operates on the four-lane from Nauni. It further ordered the authority to decide the private operators’ pending applications seeking modification of their route permits, preferably within four weeks, after granting an opportunity of hearing to the petitioners and other stakeholders and passing a reasoned order. The Superintendent of Police, Bilaspur, has also been directed to ensure compliance, covering private buses, state transport corporation buses and stage or contract carriage vehicles. The matter has been listed for compliance on December 15, 2026.

Based on the High Court’s common judgment dated November 5, 2026, in CWP Nos. 19685, 19986, 19987 and 19695 of 2026.

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