After the the accident on Mankapur flyover that killed a student and a school van driver, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has once again taken up the issue of safety of school students. The court has taken the matter seriously and ordered the Deputy Director of Education and the Education Officer to submit a report within two weeks. The High Court directed that it must be verified whether schools have conducted technical checks (fitness tests) of their buses and vans and whether the background of drivers and conductors has been properly checked. This order came during the hearing of a Suo Motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL).

 

In this case, Amicus Curiae Sr Advocate Firdos Mirza submitted a note, pointing out several safety flaws in school transport arrangements. A few days ago, a school bus and a school van collided head-on on the Mankapur flyover. In the accident, a 24-year-old school van driver and a 14-year-old student lost their lives, while several other students were seriously injured. Investigations revealed that the accident was caused not only by the collision but also by human error and unsafe conditions due to single-lane traffic on the flyover.

 

 

This is not the first time the issue of school transport safety has reached the court. In 2012, after a student was crushed to death by his own school bus, the High Court had suo motu taken cognisance of the matter and filed this PIL to monitor student safety. 

 

 

In a report submitted on July 1, 2025, the High Court was informed that many school buses and vans in Nagpur city were running without valid fitness certificates. It was also demanded that records of district-level and school-level committee meetings on checking fitness certificates be produced. Now, after the recent accident, the court has stressed the need to confirm whether schools are verifying the background of their drivers and conductors and whether safety measures are being followed. Sr Adv Mirza has requested the court to issue strict directions in the interest of students’ lives.