Apex court to hear petition against quadricycle on March 10

It was in January 2012 when Bajaj Auto first showcased its RE60 at the Delhi Auto Expo. The intent was to offer a better mobility solution than the traditional three-wheeled autorickshaw. However, this did not cut too much ice with some automakers who objected vehemently to the launch of a quadricycle on Indian roads.

This tug-of-war has lasted three years now and it now remains to be seen if a solution is finally in sight with the Supreme Court having scheduled a hearing on this issue for Tuesday. Over the last six months, petitions have been filed in various high courts across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Bihar objecting to the entry of a quadricycle.

The Centre recently filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking transfer of all these writ petitions pending across these high courts. Last week, the Court issued a stay on these petitions and will now hear the matter in New Delhi on March 10.

“Clearly, things were going completely berserk with petitions filed left, right and centre in high courts across the country. The whole issue will now be heard at a central location,” an industry source said.

In the process, it will be over a year since the notification was first issued in February 2014 classifying the quadricycle as a transport vehicle under the Motor Vehicles Act. The companies opposed to the concept were Tata Motors, TVS Motor Company and Maruti Suzuki. Bajaj Auto, in its turn, maintained that the RE60 was not targeted at the car buyer.

Despite this, the slew of petitions filed across the country has ensured that the RE60 has been kept off the roads so far. During this time, reports have been doing the rounds that Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors have begun work on their own quadricycles. Piaggio, likewise, is believed to have zeroed in a product for the subcontinent but there has been no official confirmation on this.

From Bajaj Auto’s point of view, the first mover advantage was critical for the RE60 though valuable time has already been lost. It will be hoping that March 10 throws up positive news on the quadricycle which could finally pave its entry for Indian roads. There have also been talks of ‘vested interests at play’ against the company especially when the content in these petitions filed since last August is pretty similar.

It now remains to be seen what the apex court has to say on the issue next week and if the RE60 will finally see the light of day. For a country which is constantly throwing up new mobility solutions to make up for the pressure on public transport, the quadricyle may just usher in a new chapter.

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