More Stories

Informist, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Monday suggested that states and Union territories add unpaid traffic challan dues to violators' electricity bills to enforce recovery. "They will have to pay electricity bills; else power lines will be disconnected. Work it out. In this country, you have to find a way out," said a bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K.V. Viswanathan.

 

The top court said it was not enough to just keep issuing electronic traffic challans. Police may issue hundreds of thousands of such challans, it said. The question was of recovery of fines imposed through these challans. It noted that INR 200 billion still needs to be recovered on traffic violations.

 

The court suggested that the states and Union territories could suspend renewal of vehicle registration, issuance of duplicate vehicle certificates, and changes in ownership details until all outstanding dues are paid. States and Union territories could also blacklist vehicles, block ownership transfer, and withhold fitness and pollution under control certificates for vehicles with unpaid traffic challans, it said. They could also prevent renewal of driving licences and take steps to suspend the violator's existing licence, it added.

 

The authorities need to work at the ground level, the court said. Let there be random checks of vehicles and if it is found that an electronic traffic challan has not been honoured, steps should be taken to impound the vehicle itself, the court said. 

 

The court was hearing a petition by S. Rajaseekaran, a leading orthopaedic surgeon, for the creation of safer roads, licensing of drivers and vehicles, enforcement of road safety, treatment of accident victims, and provision of due compensation to victims to be brought under one umbrella. Dr Rajaseekaran had sought directions for the implementation of electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety on national highways, state highways, and specified urban roads under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Himanshi Gupta

 

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

 

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.

 

Informist Media Tel +91 (11) 4220-1000

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

 

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.