Rajasthan HC urges state govt to ensure 15% women drivers on ride-hailing apps in 6 months

The Rajasthan High Court has directed the state government to encourage ride-hailing apps to have at least 15 per cent women among their drivers within six months.

Justice Ravi Chirania delivered the court order, which also directed the raising of this target to 25 per cent over the next two to three years, PTI news agency reported.

The order stated that female passengers must also have the option to choose a woman driver as their first preference on these ride-hailing platforms.

The directions were part of a court order which called for urgent structural reforms to Rajasthan‘s cyber-policing network.

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HC order on reforms to tackle cybercrime

Justice Chirania called cybercrime an “unstoppable and rapidly escalating threat”, and asked the state government to set up a Rajasthan Cyber Crime Control Centre.

The court was hearing bail pleas of two Gujarat residents, charged with impersonating law-enforcement officers and cheating an elderly couple of ₹2.02 crore. Both men were denied bail.

The court said that the state does not have an “adequate system” to probe digital offences despite the creation of the post of Director General, Cyber Crimes in 2024, according to the PTI report.

The HC also instructed telecom authorities to carry out a strict verification of individuals before issuing them a fourth SIM card. It further directed the state government to keep a tab on inactive bank accounts and to make physical KYC verification mandatory for these.

Apart from the state government, the HC also issued directions to banks and financial institutions to suspend internet banking for the accounts flagged as suspicious, or for those which have annual transactions of less than ₹50,000 over the past three years.

Urging a formal registration system under the office of the Director General, Cyber Crimes, the court directed that all gig workers in the state be brought under it.