Delhi tightens grip on traffic offenders with tech, may cancel licenses
Vehicle owners in the Capital may soon have their driving licenses cancelled for non-payment of traffic fines. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday announced that the State Government will soon implement amended Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, which calls for strengthened and digitised traffic enforcement.
“The revised system makes the challan (traffic fines) process more stringent, transparent and technology-driven. Anyone committing five or more traffic violations within a year will be classified as a serious offender. Such cases may lead to suspension or disqualification of the driving licence under the amended rules,” the CM said.
She added the new system is designed to be fully digital, time-bound and accountable. “This will ensure better compliance with traffic rules and help reduce road accidents,” the CM said, urging citizens to follow traffic norms, settle traffic fines on time and act as responsible road users.
Under the new framework, anyone committing five or more traffic violations in a year will be classified as a serious offender. This could lead to suspension or disqualification of the driver’s licence.
Once a traffic fine is issued, the violator will have 45 days to either pay it or challenge it before a grievance redressal officer through the online portal, supported by documentary evidence. If no action is taken within this period, the fine will be deemed accepted, and payment must be made within the next 30 days.
If a challenge is rejected, the individual can either pay the fine within 30 days or approach the court after depositing 50 percent of the fine amount. Failure to act within the stipulated time will result in the fine being treated as accepted, with payment required within 15 days thereafter. Payments can be made through electronic modes. The grievance redressal officer will be required to upload a decision on the portal within 30 days.
Most importantly, violators will not be able to approach courts directly to contest a traffic fine without first going through the prescribed process.
According to a data, nearly 84 per cent of all traffic fines, including on-the-spot violations and others captured by cameras, issued in the past four years are stuck in limbo. From 2021 till 2024, more than three crore traffic fines were issued, but over 2.5 crore remain to be settled.
Police or authorised officers can issue challans either physically or electronically. In addition, violations captured through cameras and digital surveillance systems will automatically generate challans. If the department has a violator’s mobile number, the e-challan will be delivered within three days, while a physical notice will be delivered within 15 days.
All challans will be recorded sequentially on an online portal to ensure transparency. Motorists have been advised to update their mobile numbers and addresses on their driving licence and vehicle registration certificates to avoid inconvenience.
Continued non-payment will lead to restrictions on all vehicle-related services, including payment of taxes and processing of driving licence or registration-related requests.
The vehicle will be flagged on the portal as ‘not to be transacted,’ effectively blocking any further transactions until the dues are cleared. In cases where necessary, and subject to court orders, police or authorised officers may also impound vehicles involved in violations. All challans will be issued in the name of the registered vehicle owner, who will be notified via SMS, email or other digital means.
The number of challans issued through cameras are significantly higher than the ones on the spot. From 2021 till 2024, more than 2.3 crore challans were issued via cameras compared to 68 lakh through on-the-spot ones. In 2024, nearly 65 per cent of the pending challans were camera-generated notices.
