Kerala HC upholds free bus travel scheme for women and trans persons

Kochi,UPDATED: Jun 22, 2026 17:36 IST

The Kerala High Court on Monday dismissed a plea challenging the UDF government's Priyadarshini Scheme, which provides free travel for women and transgender persons on ordinary KSRTC buses. The court said the scheme was a policy decision of the government and was meant to benefit working-class women.

A division bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar VM found no grounds to interfere with the scheme. It also observed that there was nothing in the policy that went against any statutory provision.

The plea was filed by Muhammed Firdouz, who described himself as a public-spirited citizen and taxpayer. In his petition, he argued that the scheme was discriminatory and violated Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution. He said it offered free bus travel to women and transgender persons without any income ceiling, residency requirement or identified disadvantage that it was meant to address.

The petitioner also claimed that the scheme would place a burden of around Rs 2 crore a day on the public exchequer, taking the annual cost to nearly Rs 800 crore. The plea further questioned the way the policy was approved and the speed at which it was implemented.

Opposing the petition, the state government told the court that similar schemes were already in place in several states, including Delhi, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal. After hearing both sides, the court dismissed the petition.

The Priyadarshini scheme was one of the five major guarantees promised by the UDF during the Assembly election campaign, and it was implemented after the government assumed office to provide free travel for women and transgender persons on ordinary KSRTC services.

- Ends