A major irregularity has surfaced in Uttar Pradesh’s vehicle fitness certification system after a private Automated Testing Station (ATS) in Bijnor allegedly issued fitness certificates to 10,056 vehicles without the vehicles ever undergoing mandatory inspection. Following an investigation by the Transport Department, the ATS’s registration has been cancelled. However, no large-scale action has yet been taken against the thousands of vehicles that allegedly obtained fraudulent fitness certificates, raising serious concerns over road safety.
The case involves a private Automated Testing Station operated by M/s FS Traders in Bijnor. According to the allegations, between January and March 2026, fitness certificates were issued to 10,056 vehicles without conducting the mandatory physical inspections. Under the prescribed rules, every commercial vehicle must undergo technical checks of its braking system, suspension, steering, headlights, emission levels and other safety parameters before being declared roadworthy. The issuance of certificates without vehicles visiting the testing centre has cast serious doubts over the integrity of the certification process.
The irregularity came to light after two vehicle owners from Lucknow discovered that fitness certificates had been issued for their vehicles even though they had never taken them to the testing centre. Acting on the complaints, the Transport Department ordered an inquiry. An investigation committee headed by the Deputy Transport Commissioner of the Bareilly region inspected the ATS on April 23 and reportedly found several serious procedural and operational deficiencies, which were documented in its report. Following the findings, a show-cause notice was issued to the operator, Mahfooz Ahmad, seeking an explanation.
After finding the response unsatisfactory, the Transport Commissioner cancelled the registration certificate of the Bijnor ATS. Despite this action, the biggest concern remains the more than 10,000 vehicles that continue to operate on Uttar Pradesh’s roads on the basis of allegedly fraudulent fitness certificates. If these vehicles have not undergone proper technical inspection, they could pose a significant threat to road safety and increase the risk of accidents.
This is not the first such case in the state. Earlier, authorities had taken action against an Automated Testing Station in Jhansi after similar irregularities were detected, leading to the registration of an FIR against 10 individuals. Another ATS in Firozabad was also shut down over operational violations. Similar cases have been reported in Rajasthan, where multiple Automated Testing Stations were closed following allegations of widespread corruption. These repeated incidents have raised serious questions about the monitoring and oversight of privately operated vehicle testing centres.
According to the Transport Department, Uttar Pradesh currently has 34 Automated Testing Stations across 27 districts, including two facilities in the BKT area of Lucknow. The department has stated that inspection protocols and digital monitoring mechanisms will be strengthened to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Road safety experts say that any compromise in the vehicle fitness certification process directly affects public safety. Issuing fitness certificates without mandatory inspections not only violates regulatory norms but also increases the likelihood of mechanically unfit vehicles operating on public roads. Experts have called for fresh inspections of all vehicles that received questionable certificates, strict action against those responsible, and a comprehensive audit of the entire vehicle fitness certification system to restore public confidence and prevent similar lapses in the future.
