Tribunal stays suspension of Nagpur RTO officer in school vehicle accident case

The tribunals interim order, issued on Friday, stayed Bidkars suspension and permitted him to resume his duties immediately while directing the state government to file an affidavit in response to his plea against the disciplinary proceedings initiated under the Maharashtra Civil Services Rules.

The Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) has granted interim relief to Nagpur regional transport officer Kiran Bidkar, who was suspended for dereliction of duty over a fatal school vehicle accident in 2025, which claimed two lives. The tribunal's interim order, issued on Friday, stayed Bidkar's suspension and permitted him to resume his duties immediately while directing the state government to file an affidavit in response to his plea against the disciplinary proceedings initiated under the Maharashtra Civil Services Rules. Bidkar was suspended on Wednesday in connection with the September 12, 2025, accident involving a school van and a school bus in Nagpur, in which a van driver and a student died. ''The order of suspension stands stayed till further orders. The applicant shall be permitted to join the post today itself,'' the order said. The Maharashtra government had suspended Bidkar under the Maharashtra Civil Services Rules and initiated disciplinary proceedings against him under the Maharashtra Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1979. According to the suspension order, the school van involved in the accident was allegedly operating without a valid fitness certificate, and Bidkar, as head of the RTO office, prima facie showed ''dereliction of duty, negligence and laxity'' in discharging his responsibilities. Notably, the suspension came just days after Union minister Nitin Gadkari appreciated Bidkar's work on road safety awareness and enforcement in Nagpur in a letter dated May 2. Gadkari had praised initiatives such as traffic awareness campaigns, training programmes for school bus and autorickshaw drivers, helmet rallies and strict enforcement through e-challan systems, saying they had contributed to a decline in road accidents and fatalities in the city.