A writ petition has been filed in the Madras High Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Tamil Nadu government’s “Vettri Payanam” scheme, which offers no‑fare travel for women and transwomen on 12,695 government buses across the state.
The petition was submitted by private bus operator N. Kalamani from Bhavani Taluk in Erode district. Kalamani argues that the scheme will severely affect private transport operators, who could lose both female and male passengers as families prefer to travel together on government buses where women pay nothing. She cited her own experience, noting that she operates two routes—47 km from Erode to Vellithiruppur and 88 km from Kakapalayam to Andhiyur—employing about 15 people and supporting her family’s livelihood.
Kalamani claims the scheme violates Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law, by creating an uneven playing field that favours government buses. She also argues that the scheme contravenes Article 161, as it was announced by the Chief Minister under Rule 110 without a formal government order. The petition references the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, asserting that fare collection is mandatory and that the government cannot unilaterally declare no‑fare travel.
The writ petition, which seeks to declare the scheme unconstitutional and requests an interim stay, is scheduled for hearing before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan on Monday, 5 October 2026. The petitioner also noted that the state has earmarked ₹6,000 crore annually for compensating state transport corporations under the scheme, which serves 84.32 lakh women daily.
