Supreme Court traffic fine order has directed states and Union territories to take strict steps to recover unpaid traffic fines.
Vehicles with unpaid e-challans may be seized, while several vehicle-related services can also be stopped until the dues are cleared.
The directions were issued by a Supreme Court bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan while hearing a road safety matter.
The court said merely issuing e-challans is not enough if authorities do not ensure recovery of the fines.
Supreme Court traffic fine order on unpaid challans
The court has directed authorities to carry out random checks of vehicles. If a vehicle is found with an unpaid e-challan, necessary steps should be taken to impound it.
The court has also ordered restrictions on vehicle-related online services when traffic fines remain unpaid.
These include registration renewal, issuance of duplicate registration certificates and certain requests to update vehicle details.
Fitness and Pollution Under Control certificates can also be withheld until outstanding traffic fines are paid.
Vehicles with unpaid dues may additionally be blacklisted on the Parivahan portal, which can affect their transfer or sale.
Unpaid traffic fines worth around ₹23,000 crore
According to the court proceedings, around ₹49,194.05 crore was outstanding under e-challans issued across the country.
Of this, about ₹26,175.05 crore had been recovered, leaving roughly ₹23,000 crore still to be collected.
The court stressed that authorities must focus on recovering the money instead of only generating large numbers of e-challans.
It said enforcement would have little purpose if the penalties imposed for traffic violations were not actually recovered.
During an earlier hearing on September 28, the court had also suggested linking unpaid traffic challans with electricity bills as a possible recovery mechanism.
This was a suggestion made during the proceedings and is separate from the latest enforcement directions.
Vehicle services can be stopped
The latest directions cover several services connected with vehicles carrying unpaid traffic fines.
Authorities have been asked to stop registration renewal and the issuance of duplicate registration certificates where dues remain pending.
Requests related to changes in vehicle ownership details can also be restricted.
The court has further directed authorities to withhold fitness and PUC certificates until outstanding challans are paid.
Vehicles can be blacklisted on the transport portal, while ownership transfers can also be blocked.
This means an unpaid traffic fine could affect a vehicle owner’s ability to complete certain official vehicle transactions.
Action for repeated traffic violations
The Supreme Court has also directed authorities to take steps against repeated traffic violations.
Measures can include stopping renewal of a driving licence and suspending a licence in appropriate cases.
The court has also called for stronger electronic enforcement systems.
States, Union territories and road agencies have been asked to ensure that electronic enforcement systems can detect specified violations under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules.
The directions also include plans for a public online dashboard showing information such as electronic enforcement corridors, enforcement devices, monitored violations and e-challans issued.
The information is to be updated at least once a month.
The court has further called for better exchange of road-safety and enforcement data between systems including VAHAN-4, SARATHI, e-Challan, e-DAR and iRAD.
For vehicle owners, the Supreme Court traffic fine order puts greater emphasis on clearing pending e-challans, as unpaid fines can lead to enforcement action and restrictions on vehicle-related services.
