Traffic Challan Recovery Gets Tougher: SC Suggests Adding Unpaid Fines to Electricity Bills

The Supreme Court on September 28 suggested adding unpaid traffic challan fines to electricity bills to improve recovery. The suggestion came during a hearing in New Delhi over unpaid e challan dues. 

The court was informed that states and Union Territories had around Rs 45,000 crore in pending fines. Around Rs 25,000 crore has reportedly been recovered so far. The Bench discussed stronger measures because issuing e-challans has limited value if motorists do not pay them.

Supreme Court Discusses Traffic Challan Recovery

A Bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice KV Viswanathan heard the matter. It relates to electronic traffic enforcement and recovery of unpaid e-challans. The case forms part of a road safety PIL filed in 2012 by Coimbatore based orthopaedic surgeon S Rajaseekaran.

The court suggested several ways to recover outstanding fines. One proposal involved adding unpaid challans to electricity dues. The court said authorities could work out such a system, linking payment with continued electricity service.

However, this electricity bill proposal was only discussed during the hearing. It was not a direction for implementation.

Vehicle Registration Could Be Blocked

The court also discussed measures that could directly affect vehicle owners with unpaid challans.

These included:

• Blocking renewal of registration certificates.
• Stopping duplicate registration certificates from being issued.
• Preventing ownership transfers until fines are cleared.
• Blacklisting vehicles on the Parivahan portal.
• Withholding vehicle fitness certificates.
• Refusing PUC certificates for vehicles with pending challans.

Such measures could create additional hurdles for owners trying to sell, transfer or renew documents.

Driving Licence Renewal Also Discussed

The court also considered action against driving licences linked to unpaid challans.

Authorities could potentially stop licence renewals or suspend licences already in force. Random vehicle checks were also discussed during the hearing. The court said authorities could seize vehicles with unpaid e-challans where necessary.

Justice Pardiwala questioned the usefulness of issuing e-challans without ensuring their recovery. He stressed that authorities need practical solutions.

What This Could Mean For Vehicle Owners

The suggestions could make unpaid traffic fines more costly and difficult to ignore. However, none of these measures were ordered for immediate implementation.

Owners of vehicles from brands such as KTM, Bajaj, Royal Enfield and TVS could therefore face such measures only if governments adopt them.

For now, motorists should continue checking their pending challans through official channels. The hearing focused on finding workable methods to recover existing unpaid fines.

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