Unpaid Traffic Challans Can Block PUC and RC after the Supreme Court directed authorities to take stronger steps to recover outstanding e-challan dues.
The directions include restrictions on vehicle-related services and action against vehicles with unpaid fines.
Unpaid Traffic Challans Can Block PUC and RC
The Supreme Court has directed authorities to freeze certain online vehicle services when traffic fines remain unpaid.
These measures include stopping renewal of registration certificates, issuing duplicate registration certificates and processing requests to update the vehicle owner’s address until the outstanding dues are cleared.
The court also directed authorities to deny fitness certificates until pending traffic fines are fully paid.
Vehicles with outstanding e-challans are to be blacklisted on the Parivahan portal, which can prevent their sale and transfer of ownership.
PUC Certificate May Also Be Withheld
One of the important directions concerns Pollution Under Control certificates.
The Supreme Court said that no centre should be permitted to issue a PUC certificate for a vehicle until its pending traffic fines have been cleared.
This means an unpaid e-challan can affect more than the immediate payment of a traffic penalty.
Vehicle owners may also face restrictions when they need certain registration, fitness or pollution-related services.
Driving Licence Action for Multiple Violations
The court has also directed authorities to take stronger action in cases involving multiple violations.
Renewal of a driving licence can be suspended, and steps can also be taken to suspend a licence that is already in force.
The Supreme Court further directed authorities to conduct random checks of vehicles.
If a vehicle is found with an e-challan that has not been honoured, necessary steps can be taken to impound the vehicle.
The directions were issued in the long-running road-safety case S. Rajaseekaran vs Union of India.
The court stressed that simply issuing thousands or lakhs of e-challans is not enough if authorities cannot recover the fines.
Why the Supreme Court Took Action
The court was informed that approximately ₹49,194.05 crore was recoverable towards e-challans issued over a period of time, while around ₹26,175.05 crore had been recovered.
During the hearing, the possibility of linking unpaid traffic challans with electricity bills was also discussed as a possible recovery mechanism. However, this proposal does not form part of the Supreme Court’s written directions.
The written order instead focuses on measures such as freezing vehicle-related services, withholding registration and fitness documents, blocking PUC certification, blacklisting vehicles on the Parivahan portal and taking action against repeat violators.
The court also directed random vehicle checks and stronger electronic enforcement so that traffic violations do not simply result in challans that remain unpaid.
