Nagpur: The simmering conflict between private bus operators and city authorities has now reached the courtroom. Aggrieved over a sweeping ban imposed by the Nagpur Police on private buses entering the city’s Inner Ring Road, a group of operators has approached the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, seeking relief.
Taking serious note of the matter, the High Court on Wednesday issued notices to senior officials, including the Nagpur Police Commissioner, Divisional Commissioner, District Collector, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), and the Municipal Commissioner. The court has directed them to file their replies by Friday.
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18 Aug 2025
The petition has been filed by Om Umesh Gupta along with other private bus operators, challenging the August 12, 2025 notification issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic). The order imposes a blanket ban on private buses, particularly those without their own parking facilities, from halting, picking up, or dropping passengers anywhere within the Inner Ring Road radius.
According to the petitioners, the order is arbitrary and unlawful, as it infringes upon their fundamental rights under Articles 14 (right to equality), 19 (right to practice any profession or carry on trade), and 21 (right to livelihood) of the Constitution.
The operators have further argued that the Deputy Commissioner of Police does not hold statutory powers to decide bus stoppages or parking zones under Section 117 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. This authority, they claim, rests with the Regional Transport Office (RTO).
More significantly, the petition alleges that the move unfairly favours the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), whose buses continue to ply in the same areas despite being equally responsible for congestion. This, the operators contend, amounts to discrimination.
The bus operators have also highlighted the glaring absence of proper facilities for private buses in Nagpur. Under Section 243-A of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is legally bound to provide designated parking and stoppage points for private buses. Despite repeated appeals from operators, the civic body has failed to create even basic bus terminals or halting bays, the petition states.
Contradictory orders
The petitioners have further drawn attention to earlier directives issued on July 2 and July 3, 2025, by the State Transport Commissioner and the Additional Director General of Police (Traffic). These directives had specifically instructed that no coercive action be taken against private bus operators. However, the August 12 notification issued by the city police directly contradicts these higher orders, they pointed out.
Advocate Tushar Mandlekar appeared on behalf of the petitioners, while Advocate Shishir Uke represented the government in court.
The petitioners have urged the High Court to:
• Quash the August 12 notification,
• Grant an immediate stay on its implementation, and
• Direct the NMC and the state government to identify legal bus stops and parking areas for private buses within three months.
The case has now set the stage for a significant judicial test on the issue of balancing urban traffic management with the livelihood concerns of private bus operators, thousands of whom depend on the service to connect Nagpur with towns and villages across Maharashtra and neighbouring states.
