SC refuses to hear the plea challenging the vires of Punjab Travel Professionals' Regulation Act 2012 [Updated]

Supreme Court Today refused to entertain a plea challenging the Constitutionality of Punjab Travel Professionals' Regulation Act 2012 holding that the provisions were not "restrictive but regulatory" in nature. "What is wrong with the (licence) fee (for the registration of travel agencies), Rs. 100,000 is not an unreasonable amount. You know the kind of money they make,"  Court asked the Petitioner

The Supreme Court yesterday accepted to hear the plea made by Punjab-based travel agents who are seeking that The Punjab Travel Professionals' Regulation Act 2012 be declared unconstitutional. The travel agents had made an oral mentioning to the Court in this regard and Justice Arun Mishra agreed to hear the case today.

Earlier, the Act was named as Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act 2012 but in 2014 it was renamed as The Punjab Travel Professionals' Regulation Act 2012. The travel agents in their plea had submitted to the Court that the renamed law has to do nothing with the travel agents.

The Act and the Rules made subsequent to the Act also provide that those in the business of consultancy or ticketing or travel agency would have to get them registered upon payment of a licence fee.

Advocate RK Kapoor also submitted to the Court that Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling (Amendment) Act 2014 has been made to curb fraudulent activities of persons involved in organised human smuggling in Punjab but the same cannot be a mechanism to control the travel agents.