Lucknow e-rickshaw registration: HC gives UP 4 weeks to decide curbs

Representative image. TuckDB Postcards, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Why it matters

The court links the rise in e-rickshaws to Lucknow's traffic jams, and the state now has a deadline to decide whether to stop adding more. A state decision to cap new registrations would change who can enter the trade, and the order already puts pressure on owners running without fitness papers or insurance.

The Lucknow e-rickshaw fleet has grown to about 1.33 lakh vehicles, the Allahabad High Court was told on Monday, 2 November 2026, and the court has now given the Uttar Pradesh government four weeks to decide whether fresh e-rickshaw registrations should be restricted in Lucknow and other UP cities where there are more of them than the roads need. A Lucknow bench of Justices Alok Mathur and A K Chaudhary gave the direction in a public interest litigation (PIL) on the city’s traffic, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency and The Times of India reported. The case returns to court on 9 December.

What the High Court asked the UP government to do

The order, as both reports describe it, does three things. First, it asks the state to take a decision within four weeks on limiting new e-rickshaw registration under the Motor Vehicles Act in cities where their numbers exceed requirements. It is a direction to decide, not a ban: the court has not itself stopped any registration.

Second, the bench made a point about the law that matters to every owner. The Centre exempts e-rickshaws from registration fees, but the court said that exemption does not remove the duty to register. Lucknow e-rickshaw owners, like those elsewhere, still need a valid e-rickshaw registration to run on public roads. The bench also cited Rule 178 of the Motor Vehicles Rules, 1998, saying it gives the state government the power to regulate where e-rickshaws can move.

Third, the court turned to the restrictions Lucknow already has. An order of 12 May 2022 bars e-rickshaws from several roads in the city, but the bench noted that it was not being enforced well. It told the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the case to make sure the existing curbs are followed and to look at whether similar bans could be extended to other suitable stretches. Wherever a road is closed to e-rickshaws, it said, commuters must be given an alternative route.

The authorities have to file a compliance report. The PIL was filed by advocate Suraj Singh Visen.

How Lucknow e-rickshaw numbers reached the High Court

This is not the first time the bench has pressed the state on the issue. The Lucknow e-rickshaw figures put before the court have also changed sharply between hearings, which is part of why the question of a cap has come up.

When	What happened
12 May 2022	Order bars e-rickshaws from several Lucknow roads (cited by the court on 2 November 2026)
2024	Lucknow police split the city into 16 zones and allotted operating areas to 23,761 e-rickshaws by lottery, Hindustan Times reported
2025	Transport department tells the court in an affidavit that over 70% of e-rickshaw and e-auto owners in Lucknow had no fitness certificate; the High Court strikes down earlier limits on registrations and on owning more than two, HT reported
21 August 2026	Bench says the state “cannot sit in a state of slumber” and asks for a policy; it is told about 80,000 e-rickshaws run in Lucknow, LiveLaw and HT reported
28 October 2026	Transport department issues notices to about 70 dealers and owners linked to 171 e-rickshaws over fitness and insurance; nearly 40,000 vehicles under scrutiny, HT reported
2 November 2026	Court told of about 1.33 lakh e-rickshaws; gives the state four weeks to decide on curbing new registrations
9 December 2026	Next hearing

The two headcounts given to the court, about 80,000 in August and about 1.33 lakh now, came from different submissions, and the reports do not say how either was counted. They should not be read as growth over ten weeks. A group called the Tempo-Taxi and Autorickshaw Joint Front had separately put the number of registered e-rickshaws at about 1.25 lakh in a representation to the divisional commissioner, HT reported in September.

Why an e-rickshaw registration cap is a legal question in UP

Capping e-rickshaw registration is not simple. In August, the court was told there was then no provision in the Motor Vehicles Act to control their sale and registration, LiveLaw reported. The bench noted that the Act is a central law passed under the Concurrent List, which means the state also has power to legislate on it.

The transport department has tried narrower limits on UP e-rickshaw ownership before. It sought to stop registrations by people with an Aadhaar address outside Lucknow who used a local rent agreement, and to discourage anyone from owning more than two e-rickshaws. The High Court struck those restrictions down in 2025, holding that a blanket limit on carrying on a business could not be imposed against the right to trade under Article 19(1), according to HT.

Lucknow’s assistant regional transport officer (ARTO) for administration told HT in September that no rule fixes a maximum number of e-rickshaws for the city or limits their sale. Since then, the department has focused on enforcing the rules that already exist: valid fitness certificates, insurance and registration. Under a proposed plan HT described, owners without fitness papers or insurance would get six months to fix the gap before their registration could be suspended under Section 53 of the Motor Vehicles Act, followed by deregistration and scrapping.

What it means for Lucknow e-rickshaw drivers and buyers

For now, nothing changes at the regional transport office (RTO) counter for UP e-rickshaw buyers. The court has asked for a decision, and the reports do not say what the state will choose or whether a cap, if it comes, would apply only to new registrations or also to transfers of existing vehicles.

Three things are already clear from the order and the reports. E-rickshaw registration is mandatory even though the fee is waived. The May 2022 road restrictions in Lucknow already apply, and the court wants them enforced. And owners running without a fitness certificate or insurance are the ones the transport department has started sending notices to.

Commuters are part of the order too. Any road closed to e-rickshaws must come with an alternative route, the bench said. Separately, in the same PIL, IIT (BHU) Varanasi is to study traffic at Kamta crossing and along the Polytechnic to Chinhat stretch, including simulation studies, and suggest a long term plan, the court was told. The Lucknow Municipal Corporation and other departments have been asked to work together on traffic management there.

Beyond Lucknow

The direction is not limited to the Lucknow e-rickshaw fleet. The court asked the government to consider curbs in Lucknow “and other cities” where e-rickshaws exceed what is needed, according to both reports, though neither names the other cities. Any policy the state frames could therefore reach e-rickshaw owners in other crowded UP cities too, once those cities are identified. For earlier coverage of Uttar Pradesh, see the NewsPlainly Uttar Pradesh page.

NewsPlainly has not read the order itself. This report is based on the accounts of the hearing by The Times of India and PTI.

Frequently asked questions

Has the High Court banned new e-rickshaw registrations in UP?

No. It asked the UP government to decide within four weeks whether fresh registrations should be restricted in Lucknow and other cities where numbers exceed requirements.

Do e-rickshaws need registration if there is no registration fee?

Yes. The bench said the Centre's fee exemption does not exempt e-rickshaws from the legal requirement to be registered before running on roads.

How many e-rickshaws are there in Lucknow?

The court was told on 2 November 2026 that about 1.33 lakh operate in the city. In August it had been told about 80,000; the reports do not explain how either figure was counted.

When is the next hearing?

The PIL will be heard next on 9 December 2026.