T.N. NATARAJ vs STATE OF KARNATAKA

The Supreme Court addressed the interpretation of Section 68-C of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939, regarding the exclusion of private operators from notified routes. The Court held that without express authorization in the Scheme, private inter-State operators cannot ply on intra-State routes. The judgment reaffirmed the need for the State to legislate appropriately to avoid public inconvenience, following the precedent set in Adarsh Travels Bus Service & Anr. v. State of U.P. & Ors., (1985) 4 SCC 557.