KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has issued an interim order allowing the Gandaki Province Government to implement its ride-sharing regulation.
A joint bench of Justices Til Prasad Shrestha and Mahesh Sharma Poudel delivered the order on Tuesday while hearing a writ petition filed by Advocate Jaya Prasad Poudel on behalf of the Consumer Rights Protection Forum.
On June 3, the federal government signed a six-point deal with the Federation of Nepali National Transport Entrepreneurs, which had enforced a nationwide transport strike, calling for the immediate withdrawal of the regulations. The federal government then wrote to the provincial government to halt the implementation of the regulations for a month.
Poudel filed the petition on June 12, claiming that the federal government’s decision interferes in matters under the exclusive jurisdiction of the province, prevents service providers and consumers from accessing services, and that shutdowns and strikes were affecting essential services. Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the federal Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and its minister, the transport ministries of all seven provinces, and the Federation were named defendants in the case.
The apex court has now ruled that the regulation will not be suspended, thereby enabling Gandaki Province to proceed with its enforcement.
The Federation had called a nationwide strike after the Ride-Sharing (Regulation and Management) Rules, 2025, was published in the provincial gazette on May 15.
The apex court has now ruled that the regulation will not be suspended, thereby enabling Gandaki Province to proceed with its enforcement. Additionally, the court directed public transport operators not to resort to strikes or shutdowns in protest.
The decision has cleared the path for the provincial government to enforce its recently introduced policy framework on ride-sharing services.
Gandaki Province had introduced the regulation to manage and legalize ride-sharing platforms like Pathao and InDrive, which have grown rapidly across Nepal despite the absence of a clear legal framework.
The apex court order will also enable other provincial governments, including Bagmati, to proceed with their respective ride-sharing laws.
