Uber moves HC for ~12 crore in damages from taxi associations
App-based car aggregator Uber India has approached the Bombay High Court seeking ~12 crore in damages from taxi owners and drivers associations for harming its reputation and livelihood of drivers by protesting against the company.
In the suit, Uber India sought an injunction restraining the defendants from stopping Uber drivers from work, alleging that they were being “verbally abused, physically assaulted and threatened”.
The suit names Sangharsh Tourist Chalak Malak Sangh, an association of taxi owners and drivers, Action Committee of Maharashtra against Ola and Uber, Mumbai Vikas Foundation, All Drivers Welfare Association and Maharashtra Tourist Permit Union.
“The defendants are deliberately, unlawfully and wrongfully resorting to violence and intimidation under the garb of strikes and protests in Mumbai and thereby restraining drivers associated with the plaintiff’s mobile App from operating and pursuing livelihood,” the suit said. It further alleged that the defendants have been engaged in “actively inciting” Uber drivers to go on strike and protest against the company.
“The defendants have been hampering the legitimate business of plaintiffs (Uber) by interfering in their operations quite extensively across the city of Mumbai. They have been indulging in threats to the driver partners of Uber, in the event they wilfully continue to drive using the Uber App,” the suit alleged. The suit referred to a protest held by the taxi owners and drivers associations at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai in March this year, when several Uber cars were allegedly damaged and their customers and drivers were threatened with dire consequences.