Challan defaulters to face service block on DL & RC: Government proposes 45-day compliance rule

NEW DELHI: Those who violate traffic and other motor vehicle (MV) rules will soon be required to either accept and pay challans or contest them with supporting evidence within 45 days, says a draft notification proposing amendments to the MV Rules related to the issuance and payment of challans.

As per the proposed changes notified by the road transport ministry, regional transport offices (RTOs) won’t process any applications related to the licence or vehicle registration of such offenders until the dues are cleared. Such vehicles and driving licence holders will also be flagged as “not to be transacted” on Vahan and Sarathi portal.

Sources said these changes have been proposed to nudge violators to clear their dues.

However, experts cautioned that, before implementing the changes, the govt must ensure that systems are in place for driving licence (DL) and registration certificate (RC) holders to raise objections against challans, and for their names to be promptly removed from the pending payment list once the dues are cleared.

“The draft rules specify that anyone receiving a challan may contest it on the portal with supporting documentary evidence before an authority designated by the respective state govt. There is a need to clearly define the responsibilities of this authority, and there should be a penalty provision in place if the authority fails to remove a vehicle or individual from the defaulter list after dues have been cleared,” said a veteran from the transport industry.

The ministry has proposed that police officers in uniform or any other official authorised by state govts be allowed to issue challan physically. They could also auto-generate challans. These challans must be delivered either in person within 15 days or electronically within three days.

If a person does not contest a challan before the designated authority, it will be deemed accepted 45 days after issuance.

According to the draft rules, if a challan is contested and the authority fails to resolve it within 30 days, or if it decides to quash the challan with recorded reasons, the penalty will no longer be enforceable.

The petitioner may either accept the order and pay the fine within 30 days of it being uploaded on the portal or file an application before a court after depositing 50 per cent of the penalty amount. If the individual neither pays the fine nor contests the challan in court within 30 days of receiving the order, the challan will be deemed accepted.

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