The Allahabad high court’s Lucknow bench has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to consider stopping fresh registration of e-rickshaws in Lucknow and other cities if their numbers are found to be excessive, citing the contribution of around 1.33 lakh such vehicles to traffic congestion in the state capital.
A division bench of Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary, in an order dated October 28, directed the additional chief secretary (transport) to examine the issue and, if necessary, issue orders under Section 39 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, directing regional transport officers to stop fresh registrations until the decision is reviewed.
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Concerns over traffic congestion caused by e-rickshaws
The order was uploaded recently while the court was hearing a PIL filed by Suraj Singh Visen, which raised concerns over traffic congestion caused by e-rickshaws, particularly in Lucknow.
“The issue regarding e-rickshaws was deliberated on a number of occasions before this court and all parties were unanimous regarding traffic congestion created by approximately 1,33,000 e-rickshaws plying on Lucknow’s roads, making it one of the main reasons for congestion in the city,” the court observed.
{{/usCountry}}“The issue regarding e-rickshaws was deliberated on a number of occasions before this court and all parties were unanimous regarding traffic congestion created by approximately 1,33,000 e-rickshaws plying on Lucknow’s roads, making it one of the main reasons for congestion in the city,” the court observed.
{{/usCountry}}The bench said checks were required to prevent the number of e-rickshaws from exceeding the permissible limit. Taking note of the road conditions in Lucknow, it directed the state government to decide within four weeks. The state government informed the court that it had raised the issue with the Centre, which responded to its communication but did not address the core concern.
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Centre on prescribed fee
The Centre had clarified that only an exemption from the prescribed fee had been provided, while the mandatory registration requirement under Section 39 of the Motor Vehicles Act remained in force, the state’s counsel submitted.
The court also clarified that whenever an order under Rule 178 of the Motor Vehicles Rules, 1998, is passed concerning e-rickshaws, alternative routes must be earmarked to ensure commuters do not face inconvenience. It directed the state counsel to submit a compliance report on the next date of hearing, December 9, 2026.
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Chief engineer (PWD) Ravindra Singh, regional transport officer (enforcement) Prabhat Pandey, DCP Anil Kumar Yadav and additional municipal commissioner Pankaj Srivastava were present during the hearing.
The court directed them to appear again on the next date to assist in the proceedings.
MANOJ KUMAR SINGH