Stories
Delhi Lawyers Protest New Traffic Challan Rules, Abstain from Work
- •Delhi district court lawyers abstained from judicial work, protesting amended Rule 167 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, regarding traffic challan adjudication.
- •The protest, led by the Coordination Committee of All District Court Bar Associations of Delhi, opposes the transfer of adjudicatory functions from Judicial Magistrates to Sub-Divisional Magistrates, Executive Magistrates, and other government department officers.
- •Lawyers object to the provision requiring a 50% pre-deposit of the challan amount if a challenge is rejected before approaching a competent court, citing it as an impediment to justice.
- •The committee expressed concern over the notification of various departmental officers, including Food and Supplies officials and Tehsildars, to dispose of contested challans, arguing it compromises citizens' right to judicial adjudication.
- •Lawyers called the changes arbitrary and against public interest, emphasizing that the new mechanism was implemented without consulting the legal fraternity and represents a transfer of judicial powers to the executive.
Key Questions Answered
Delhi district court lawyers abstained from work to protest against the amended Rule 167 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, which alters the adjudication mechanism for contested traffic challans by transferring powers from Judicial Magistrates to executive and departmental authorities.
The bar committee strongly objects to transferring adjudicatory functions from Judicial Magistrates to Executive and Sub-Divisional Magistrates as well as departmental officers. They also oppose the mandatory requirement to deposit 50 percent of the fine amount before a citizen can challenge an adverse rejection decision in a competent court.
Under the amended Rule 167, individuals who receive a traffic challan have 45 days from issuance to either accept and pay the specified amount or contest it along with documentary evidence.
