New Delhi — Tired of watching traffic fines pile up unpaid, the Supreme Court on Monday floated a novel recovery idea: if motorists will not clear their e-challans, the dues could simply be added to their electricity bills.
"If people are not paying traffic challans, add it to their electricity dues bill. They'll have to pay electricity bills else power line will be disconnected. Work it out. In this country, you have to find a way out," a bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan said.
The bench was hearing a plea on the electronic enforcement of traffic violations and the recovery of unpaid e-challans. It was told that Rs 45,000 crore worth of e-challan fines had been raised across states and Union Territories, of which only about Rs 25,000 crore had been recovered — leaving roughly Rs 20,000 crore outstanding.
Recovery, not just issuance
Justice Pardiwala stressed that issuing challans means little if the money never comes in. Police may issue thousands and lakhs of e-challans, he noted, but the real question is whether the fines are actually recovered. The court said authorities need to work at the ground level rather than treating enforcement as a paperwork exercise.
Beyond the electricity-bill suggestion, the bench proposed a string of enforcement measures: suspension of driving licences, blacklisting defaulting vehicles on the Parivahan portal, and blocking renewals of registration certificates, fitness and pollution-under-control certificates, duplicate documents, and changes of vehicle ownership until dues are cleared.
The court also suggested random checking of vehicles on the road. "Let there be random checking of vehicles and if found that e-challan has not been honoured, necessary steps to be taken to impound the vehicle itself," the bench said.
A long-running road-safety case
The application was heard as part of a 2012 public interest litigation on road safety filed by Coimbatore-based orthopaedic surgeon S. Rajaseekaran, which seeks coordinated measures to reduce accidents, improve infrastructure and strengthen post-accident care. The latest plea sought enforcement mechanisms for unpaid fines under Section 136A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, read with Rule 167A of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
The court has asked amicus curiae, Senior Advocate Gaurav Agarwal, to prepare a chart showing how its earlier directions in the case have actually been implemented — warning that if its orders remain only on paper, it may have to take sterner steps.
Sources:
The Week: 'Add it to electricity bill': Supreme Court's new suggestion
The Economic Times: Rs 20,000 crore in traffic fines unpaid
"If people are not paying traffic challans, add it to their electricity dues bill. They'll have to pay electricity bills else power line will be disconnected. Work it out. In this country, you have to find a way out," a bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan said.
The bench was hearing a plea on the electronic enforcement of traffic violations and the recovery of unpaid e-challans. It was told that Rs 45,000 crore worth of e-challan fines had been raised across states and Union Territories, of which only about Rs 25,000 crore had been recovered — leaving roughly Rs 20,000 crore outstanding.
Recovery, not just issuance
Justice Pardiwala stressed that issuing challans means little if the money never comes in. Police may issue thousands and lakhs of e-challans, he noted, but the real question is whether the fines are actually recovered. The court said authorities need to work at the ground level rather than treating enforcement as a paperwork exercise.
Beyond the electricity-bill suggestion, the bench proposed a string of enforcement measures: suspension of driving licences, blacklisting defaulting vehicles on the Parivahan portal, and blocking renewals of registration certificates, fitness and pollution-under-control certificates, duplicate documents, and changes of vehicle ownership until dues are cleared.
The court also suggested random checking of vehicles on the road. "Let there be random checking of vehicles and if found that e-challan has not been honoured, necessary steps to be taken to impound the vehicle itself," the bench said.
A long-running road-safety case
The application was heard as part of a 2012 public interest litigation on road safety filed by Coimbatore-based orthopaedic surgeon S. Rajaseekaran, which seeks coordinated measures to reduce accidents, improve infrastructure and strengthen post-accident care. The latest plea sought enforcement mechanisms for unpaid fines under Section 136A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, read with Rule 167A of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
The court has asked amicus curiae, Senior Advocate Gaurav Agarwal, to prepare a chart showing how its earlier directions in the case have actually been implemented — warning that if its orders remain only on paper, it may have to take sterner steps.
Sources:
The Week: 'Add it to electricity bill': Supreme Court's new suggestion
The Economic Times: Rs 20,000 crore in traffic fines unpaid
