Maharashtra cyber cell takes U-turn on decision to initiate action to remove bike taxi app services

Mumbai: A day after the Maharashtra cyber cell initiated action to remove the app services facilitating unauthorised bike taxi operations from the platform, it took a U-Turn on the decision on Saturday.

The cyber cell, which issued the circular last Friday to the Play Store platform to remove the application, communicated the next day to restore the service, sources in the govt said.

The reason behind the U-turn is known only to the cyber cell officials, sources said. “There is no block or stoppage of the application and the services are not removed from the app till further notice,” a source said.

According to the circular issued by the Cyber Cell on Friday, it had initiated action against illegal operations of bike taxis across Maharashtra. The office of the additional director general of police, Maharashtra cyber cell, had taken cognisance of a complaint from transport minister Pratap Sarnaik’s office regarding the unauthorised operations of bike taxi applications.

The state cyber cell office, on Friday, issued notice to app store platforms of mobile phones to “remove such applications facilitating unauthorised bike taxi operations from the platform.”

“This is being done to prevent their widespread use and to safeguard public safety and compliance with the law,” the notice, a copy of which is with TOI, had stated.

“This notice is being served on you under section 79(3)(b) of Information Technology Act, 2000, read with The Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011, which makes you liable to be charged under section 85(2) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 or any other relevant provision under any law as it may be applicable,” the notice had mentioned on Friday.