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TMI Blog1960 (4) TMI 62X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... Whether the Chief Minister did not give " genuine consideration " to the objections raised by the operators to the scheme in the light of the conditions prescribed by the Legislature? Held that:- It is not clear on the averments made in the petition that the route on which the stage carriages of the two named persons ply are identical; even if the routes on which the stage carriages of these two operators ply overlap the notified route, in the absence of any evidence to show that they had the right to pick up passengers en route, the discrimination alleged cannot be deemed to have been made out. In any event, the expression " law " as, defined in Art. 13(3)(a) includes any ordinance, order, bye-law, rule, regulation, notification custom, etc., and the scheme framed under s. 68C may properly be regarded as " law " within the meaning of Art. 19(6) made by the State excluding private operators from notified routes or notified areas, and immune from the attack that it infringes the fundamental right guaranteed by Art. 19(1)(g). The Chief Minister has given. detailed reasons for approving the scheme and has dealt with such of the objections as he says were urged before him ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... tte' On June 23, 1959, renewal applications submitted by petitioners 1 to 3 for permits to ply Stage carriages on certain routes covered by the scheme were rejected by the Transport Authority and the 2nd respondent was given permanent permits operative as from June 24, 1959, for plying buses on those routes. In Writ Petition No. 463 of 1959 challenging the validity of the permanent permits granted to the 2nd respondent, the High Court of Mysore held that the issue of permits to the 2nd respondent before the expiry of six weeks from the date Of the application was illegal. To petitioners 1 to 3 and certain other operators renewal permits operative till March 31, 1961, were thereafter issued by the third respondent. The 2nd respondent applied for fresh permits in pursuance of the scheme approved on April 15, 1959, for plying Stage carriages on routes specified in the scheme and notices thereof returnable on January 5, 1960, were served upon the operators likely to be affected thereby. On January 4, 1960, the five petitioners applied to this court under Art. 32 of the Constitution for quashing the scheme and for incidental reliefs. The petitioners claim that they have a fundamenta ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... he number of existing stage carriages on each route with the number of trips and the names of their opera- tors are described as in statement 2 appended . Statement 2 sets out the names and places of business of fifty-six operators together with the routes operated and the numbers of the stage carriages and trips made by those operators. In the Anekal area, there are thirty-one routes, which are served by stage carriages operated by private operators, and by the approval of the scheme, only fourteen of those routes are covered by the scheme' Section 68C, in so far as it is material, provides that a State transport undertaking, if it is of opinion that it is necessary in the public interest that road transport services in relation to any area or route or portion thereof should be run and operated by itself, whether to the exclusion, complete or partial, of other persons or otherwise, it may prepare a scheme giving particulars of the nature of the services proposed to be rendered, the area or route proposed to be covered and other particulars respecting thereto as may be prescribed. Section 68D(1) provides for inviting objections by persons affected by the scheme. Sub-sectio ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... the third, respondent, the scheme related to a notified area and not to notified routes. The order states that. an approved scheme for the exclusive operation in the notified area of Bangalore District by the second respondent has come into existence after the notification of the route Bangalore to Nallur, and the major, portion of the route applied for lie in the notified area and as such it was not desirable, to grant any permit to operators to pass through notified area in the intraState route. The third respondent may have in considering the application assumed that the scheme related to a notified area, but the true interpretation of the scheme cannot be adjudged in the light of that assumption. The other document relied upon is a statement of objections filed by the second respondent on October 24, 1959, resisting the application for stage carriage permits to a private operator on the route Siddalaghatta-Bangalore via Nallur. In para. 4 of the statement, it was submitted that the existing notification dated October 15, 1959, came under the notified area of the department of the second respondent and that would overlap certain services of the department . But beca ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... Legislature may make laws, is subject to legislation by Parliament. Like ordinary citizens, the Union and the State Governments may carry on any trade or business subject to restrictions which may be imposed by the Legislatures competent to legislate in respect of the particular trade or business. Under Article 19(6) of the Constitution as amended by the First Amendment Act, 1951, nothing in sub-cl. (g) of cl. (1) of Art. 19 is to affect the operation of any existing law in so far as it related to, or prevent the State from making any law relating to the carrying on by the State or by a Corporation owned or controlled by the State of any industry or business, whether to the exclusion, complete or partial, of citizens or otherwise. The State may therefore carry on any trade or business, and legislation relating to the carrying on of trade or business by ,the State, is not liable to be called in question on the ground that it infringes the fundamental freedom of citizens under Art. 19(1)(g). The Motor Vehicles Act.1939, was enacted by the Central Legislative Assembly in exercise of its power under the Government of India Act, 1935, to legislate in respect of mechanically 'propell ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... cheme, to modify the terms of existing permits and to refuse to entertain applications for renewal of permits of private operators. Chapter IVA is not merely regulatory of the procedure for carrying on business of road transport by the State; it enables the State transport undertaking, subject to the provisions of the scheme, to exclude private operators and to acquire a monopoly, partial or complete, in carrying on transport business, in a notified area or on notified routes. The authority of the Parliament to enact laws granting monopolies to the State Government to conduct the business of road transport is not open to serious challenge. Entry No. 21 of List III of the Seventh Schedule authorises the Union Parliament and the State Legislatures concurrently to enact laws in respect of commercial and industrial monopolies, combines and trusts. The argument of the petitioners that the authority conferred by entry No. 21 in List III is restricted to legislation to control of monopolies and not to grant or creation of commercial or industrial monopolies has little substance. The expression commercial and industrial monopolies is wide enough to include grant or monopolies to the ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... wer to create a commercial or trading monopoly in the Constituent States. Article 19(6) is a mere saving provision: its function is not to create a power but to, immunise from attack the exercise of legislative power falling within its ambit. The right of the State to carry on trade or business to the exclusion of others does not rise by virtue of Art. 19(6). The right of the State to carry on trade or business is recognised by Art. 298; authority to exclude competitors in the field of such trade or business is conferred on the State by entrusting power to enact laws under entry 21 of List III of the Seventh Schedule,, and the exercise of that power in the context of fundamental rights is secured from attack by Art. 19(6), In any event, the expression law as, defined in Art. 13(3)(a) includes any ordinance, order, bye-law, rule, regulation, notification custom, etc., and the scheme framed under s. 68C may properly be regarded as law within the meaning of Art. 19(6) made by the State excluding private operators from notified routes or notified areas, and immune from the attack that it infringes the fundamental right guaranteed by Art. 19(1)(g). Be.3: The plea that the ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... bjections which were raised in the reply filed by the objectors, but we are, on that account, unable to hold that the Chief Minister did not consider those objections. The guarantee conferred by s. 68D of the Motor Vehicles Act upon persons likely to be affected by the intended scheme is guarantee of an opportunity to put forth their objections. and to make representations to the State Government against the acceptance of the scheme. This opportunity of making representations and of being heard in support thereof may be regarded as real only if in the consideration of the objections, there is a judicial approach. But the Legislature does not contemplate an appeal to this Court against the order passed by the State Government approving or modifying the scheme. Provided the authority invested with the power to consider the objections gives an opportunity to the objectors to be heard in the matter and deals with the objections in the light of the object intended to be secured by the scheme, the ultimate order passed by that authority is not open to challenge either on the ground that another view may possibly have been taken on the objections or that detailed reasons have not been g ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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