- (1.) The petitioner is a transport society registered under Punjab Cooperative Societies Act and is engaged in the business of transport.
(2.) The State Transport Commissioner Punjab (STC) invited applications for grant of four regular stage carriage permits for operating four return trips under the provisions of Motor Vehicles Act on Jalandhar, Mohali via Phagwara, Nawanshahr route (hereinafter referred to as 'route' in question) while giving a Public Notice No. STC.P/91/98/14960 Dated 27.4.1998 (Annexure P-1).
(3.) In response to this notice, 229 applications including of the petitioner were received. The contents of the applications were got published in the Motor Transport Gazette Weekly, Chandigarh dated 8.9.1998 for inviting objections if any. However, in response thereto, no objection was received from any quarters. The STC-respondent No. 2 vide its order dated 5.6.2000 (Annexure P-2) granted two permits in favour of respondent No. 4 (State Transport Undertaking) and two permits were granted to private operators while dividing the ratio between STUs and private operators.;