HC directs Rajasthan Govt to encourage ride-hailing apps to have 15% women drivers in six months

The Rajasthan High Court has directed the State Government to encourage app-based ride-hailing platforms to have at least 15 per cent women drivers within six months.

It also directed raising the target to 25 per cent over the next two to three years.

The court order also said that platforms must offer women passengers the option to choose a woman driver as their first preference.

The directions were issued as part of a detailed 35-point order by Justice Ravi Chirania, who termed cybercrime an “unstoppable and rapidly escalating threat” while calling for urgent structural reforms in the state’s cyber-policing framework.

The court asked the Government to set up a Rajasthan Cyber Crime Control Centre on the lines of the Union Government’s Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). It was observed that despite the creation of the post of Director General, Cyber Crimes in 2024, the state “does not yet have an adequate system” to investigate or respond to digital offences.

The order came while hearing the bail pleas of two Gujarat residents accused of impersonating law-enforcement officers and allegedly cheating an elderly couple of Rs 2.02 crore.

Both men, currently lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail, were denied bail.

Among the major directives, the High Court instructed telecom authorities to conduct strict verification before issuing a fourth SIM card to any individual. It also asked the Government to closely monitor dead or inactive bank accounts and to mandate physical KYC verification for them.

Banks and financial institutions have been told to suspend or deny internet banking services to accounts flagged as suspicious or those with annual transactions below Rs 50,000 for the past three years.

The court further directed that all gig workers operating in Rajasthan be brought under a formal registration system with the office of the Director General, Cyber Crimes. From February 1 next year, gig workers will be required to wear a uniform or follow a dress code and carry a QR-coded ID card to be shown on demand.

It also made registration with the State Transport Department mandatory for gig workers, who will now be required to operate vehicles with commercial number plates.

The sale and purchase of second-hand digital devices will come under stricter checks, while schools have been asked to introduce a clear SOP regulating mobile phone usage for students up to class nine or those below 16 years of age.