Transport commissioner Ashutosh Niranjan has taken action regarding irregularities in the issuance of driving licenses at the sub-divisional transport office in Basti
Lucknow: Transport commissioner Ashutosh Niranjan on Tuesday suspended motor vehicle inspector Sanjay Kumar Das and ordered departmental proceedings against motor vehicle inspector Seema Gautam over alleged irregularities in the issuance of driving licences at the ARTO office in Basti.
The action follows an investigation which found that Das approved 785 licences and Gautam approved 213 licences without proper scrutiny. In all, 998 licences were found to have been issued without the mandatory checks prescribed under the established procedure. The investigation report was submitted on Aug 31, 2026. The transport commissioner noted that driving licences have been issued online through the Sarathi portal across the state since Apr 1, 2013.
A letter was also sent to the Anti-Corruption Organisation, UP, seeking a vigilance inquiry against both officers. During the probe, officials examined the computerised records of the Basti office and data obtained from NIC Lucknow. However, certain licences issued by the Basti office after that date were processed as ‘backlog’ entries.