THE SAMARTH TRANSPORT CO. (P) LTD. vs THE REGIONAL TRANSPORT AUTHORITY,NAGPUR AND OTHERS.

The Supreme Court held that the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939 does not impose a specific time limit for the disposal of applications for renewal of stage carriage permits, thus the Regional Transport Authority acted within its jurisdiction in rejecting the applications despite the delay. The Court emphasized that while applications should ordinarily be disposed of before the expiry of permits or within a reasonable time thereafter, the petitioner could seek a mandamus for timely disposal if aggrieved by delays. The Court disapproved of the Authority's conduct in granting adjournments to facilitate government approval of a nationalization scheme, indicating a need for statutory bodies to act fairly and efficiently under Sections 57, 58, 62, and 68F of the Act.