Satish Chandra, J. - (1.) The question is whether the State Transport Authority or the Regional Transport Authority has jurisdiction to grant temperary permits during the pendency of a scheme of transports published by the State Transport Undertaking under Section 68-C of the Motor Vehicles Act.
(2.) The Khurja. Pahasu-Chhatari-Debai-Rajghat-Atrauli route lies with-in the territorial jurisdictions of the Regional Transport Authorities of Meerut and Agra. Thirty eight miles of this route are within Meerut while six miles alone are in Agra. During the pendency of the scheme before the State Government the Regional Transport Authority, Meerut issued a notification inviting applications for temporary permits from private operators because the State Transport Undertaking had not till then applied for the grant of any temporary permits. The appellants made the necessary applications. The Regional Transport Authority. Meerut considered them at its meeting held on May 25/29. 1973 and it granted a temporary permit to each of the seven appellants.
(3.) Respondent No. 3 was an existing operator on this route. He filed a revision. The State Transport Appellate Tribunal on 25-7-1973 passed an order allowing the revision and quashing the grant of temporary permits to the appellants. It was held that the Regional Transport Authority had no jurisdiction to grant these permits. Aggrieved the appellants filed a writ petition in this Court. A learned Single Judge was not impressed by the submissions made in support of it and dismissed it. The temporary permit holders have come up in appeal.;