Transport authority must decide temporary permit applications under Section 87(1)(c) within ten days.

The petitioner applied for a temporary stage carriage permit for an educational vehicle transporting children between their homes and Delhi Public School. The application remained undecided, and the petitioner sought a direction requiring Respondent No. 2 to consider it under Section 87(1)(c) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

The State did not oppose that limited request.

Whether Respondent No. 2 should be directed to consider and decide the petitioner’s pending application for a temporary permit under Section 87(1)(c) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988

Section 87(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 empowers a Regional or State Transport Authority to grant a temporary permit, without following the procedure under Section 80, for a period not exceeding four months; Section 87(1)(c) covers a permit needed “to meet a particular temporary need”.

A Madhya Pradesh Government circular dated 4 June 2014 directs that applications for temporary permits be decided within 10 days.

The petitioner sought only a time-bound decision on its pending application, and the State raised no objection to that request.

In directing consideration, the Court required Respondent No. 2 to take account of Section 87(1)(c) and decide the application in accordance with law; it did not determine whether the petitioner qualified for a permit.

The petitioner may not ply the vehicle unless and until a permit is granted, and the Court expressed no opinion on the merits.