Stories
SC Orders Blacklisting, Denying Fitness Certificates for Vehicles with Unpaid Challans
- •The Supreme Court has directed states and Union Territories to halt various vehicle-related services for individuals with outstanding traffic fines.
- •Vehicles with pending e-challans will be blacklisted on the central Parivahan portal, preventing sale or transfer until dues are cleared.
- •Services affected include renewal of registration, issuance of duplicate registration certificates, changes to ownership details, and fitness certificates.
- •Authorities are also instructed not to issue Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates if traffic fines remain unpaid.
- •The directive aims to improve recovery of pending e-challans, as only Rs 26,175.05 crore has been recovered against Rs 49,194.05 crore outstanding.
Key Questions Answered
The Supreme Court directed states and Union Territories to blacklist vehicles with pending e-challans on the central Parivahan portal to prevent their sale or transfer. Authorities must also block online services such as the renewal of vehicle registration certificates, issuance of duplicate certificates, changes to ownership details, and the issuance of fitness and PUC certificates until all dues are cleared. For motorists with multiple violations, driving licences should be suspended and prevented from renewal.
The Court was informed that against outstanding e-challans amounting to Rs 49,194.05 crore, only Rs 26,175.05 crore had been successfully recovered. In related hearings addressing similar recovery figures, it was noted that around Rs 25,000 crore out of nearly Rs 45,000 crore in total dues had been collected.
The Supreme Court suggested that states and Union Territories explore stronger enforcement mechanisms at the ground level, including the possibility of linking outstanding e-challan fines to electricity bills. The bench noted that defaulters would face power line disconnections if they failed to pay their electricity dues combined with the pending traffic penalties, alongside random vehicle checks and potential vehicle impoundment.
