An FIR has been registered against a motor vehicle inspector at the Chikkamagaluru Regional Transport Office (RTO) for allegedly issuing more than 13,600 vehicle fitness certificates without physical inspections between 2023 and 2025, raising a serious road-safety concern across multiple states.
The case was registered at Chikkamagaluru town police station against motor vehicle inspector Jagadish on the basis of a complaint filed by regional transport officer (in-charge) Rakesh Kumar. Police said the inspector has been booked under Sections 336(2), 336(3) and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for alleged forgery, cheating and criminal breach of trust.
According to the complaint, Jagadish was posted as a motor vehicle inspector at the Chikkamagaluru RTO from April 1, 2023, to July 5, 2025. During this period, he allegedly renewed fitness certificates without bringing the vehicles to the office for inspection. The vehicles included those registered outside Karnataka, including in Goa, Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab.
The complaint also states that vehicles and buses registered in various RTOs across Karnataka received fitness renewals without physical verification. A fitness certificate is mandatory for vehicles to ply on public roads and is issued after an inspection of a vehicle’s roadworthiness. Officials said issuing such certificates without inspection could pose a serious threat to road safety.
Rakesh Kumar told the Times of India that Jagadish had been suspended. He also said an earlier FIR had been registered against the inspector, although details of that case were not provided in the report.
The volume and speed of the alleged transactions have become a central part of the police investigation. Police said more than 4,000 out-of-state vehicles received fitness certificates in just two days using a single login ID. Investigators are examining Vahan portal logs, login details and records of certificates issued to establish the full scale of the alleged irregularities.
The case has drawn attention to the dependence of the vehicle fitness system on digital records and authorised inspections. While the Vahan portal can record certificate issuance and login activity, the allegations centre on whether the required physical verification took place before the certificates were renewed.
Police are also investigating whether other people were involved in the alleged issuance of certificates. The probe is examining the portal records and related documents to determine how the certificates were generated, which vehicles received them and whether the alleged violations extended beyond the Chikkamagaluru RTO.
The investigation will now focus on the Vahan portal logs, login details and fitness-certificate records, while the allegations against the inspector remain subject to the police probe and legal process.
