₹20,000 crore in traffic fines unpaid, Supreme Court suggests adding dues to power bills

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday suggested that states and Union territories consider adding unpaid traffic challan dues to violators' electricity bills to enforce recovery as a massive ₹20,000-crore traffic e-challans remain unpaid across the country.

"They'll have to pay electricity bills; else power lines will be disconnected. Work it out. In this country, you have to find a way out," a bench comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said while hearing a petition seeking electronic enforcement of traffic violations and recovery of unpaid e-challan fines.

Also Read: What actually happens when you ignore a traffic challan in India


Justice Pardiwala said authorities need to look beyond merely issuing e-challans and focus on recovering the fines. "It is not just sufficient to keep issuing e-challans. Police may issue thousands and lakhs of such e-challans. The question is recovery of fines as sought to be imposed by way of the e-challans," he said.

The court suggested that states and UTs could consider preventing renewal of vehicle registration, issuance of duplicate vehicle certificates and changes in ownership details until all the outstanding dues are paid.

The authorities could also blacklist the vehicles on the Parivahan portal, 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 licenses and take steps to suspend the violator's current license, it said.