You probably drive as carefully as you can to avoid accidents and refrain from violating traffic rules. But mistakes happen by the best of us. You may drive on high alert but there will always be some mistakes you make and end up getting a challan. A traffic challan can be issued for flouting any traffic rules like jumping a signal, driving over the speed limit, or driving without valid motor insurance. Earlier the process of getting a challan till actually clearing the fine in the system used to be an arduous task. But in order to simplify this process and ensure that traffic rules are followed even in the absence of traffic police, the authorities have employed the e-challan system.

What is E-challan?

An E-challan is a challan or fine that is generated through electronic and digital means. The idea behind employing e-challans is to reduce dependency on physical papers. An E-challan is accessible through an authorized digital source. These e-challans, add a great deal of convenience to the different processes surrounding them.

What is a traffic e-challan?

In India, if you are pulled over by the traffic police for breaking a traffic rule, you will be given a ticket. This ticket is called a challan. It lists the rule you broke and the fine for it. However, there are a lot of problems that arise from doing things this way. First, maintaining a record of all the challans issued even in a single day becomes a tough challenge. Second, just issuing a challan doesn’t mean the fine will be collected. Moreover, in the case of a physical challan, you have to go to an authorized traffic police station or the RTO office to make a payment. 

To tackle all of these challenges, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has started executing on the concept of e-challan. At its base concept, an e-challan is just an electronically generated challan. However, the benefits it has for drivers as well traffic authorities are exceptional. E-challans work on an integrated platform to enforce traffic laws through information technology. Traffic personnel can issue challans to noncompliant drivers digitally and charge them fines as per the rules set by Motor Vehicles Act of 2019 with or without even being present at the scene.

How does traffic e-challan work?

The main goal of traffic e-challan is to create a more seamless approach of penalizing traffic violations like traffic signal violation, not wearing a helmet, over-speeding, etc. E-challans achieve this goal in two ways:

• Traffic police can generate an e-challan after pulling a driver over upon catching them on violating a traffic rule.
• E-challan can be automatically issued if any driver is recorded going above speed limit or breaking red-signal rule, etc. on traffic surveillance cameras or speed guns. The e-challan is issued against the vehicle owner after the cameras register its number plate, make and model.

Different cities across India have different kinds of automated systems for giving e-challans. Some of them directly capture the vehicle on camera and issue a penalty. On the other hand, some require manual handling. This manual operation is carried out by traffic personnel who issue e-challans through a mobile app connected to the database of the RTO.

When a driver logs onto the website where these challans are listed, he/she can see the list of offenses and the fine that they need to pay for them. To make things better, you do not even need to visit a police station or an RTO office to pay your fines. You can pay your penalty through debit cards, net banking, etc. on the website itself.

Traffic e-Challan Process Flow

CCTV camera captures violation - Traffic Enforcement Officer is notified - Officer confirms the offense - E-challan is issued - Driver receives e-challan on registered email ID/mobile no. - Driver pays the fine - E-challan is cleared

Steps To Pay Your E Challan Online

The simplest and most convenient way to pay for traffic e-challans is to do it online. To promote hassle-free processes, traffic authorities have introduced a designated website for traffic compliance that is easy to find and navigate. Moreover, your e-challan will have a unique number so there is no confusion in making your payment. You can use this number to find your e-challan and make the payment quickly.

When an e-challan is issued, you will get a notification on your registered email or phone number. Once you receive this e-challan, you will have 60 days to pay your fines. However, it is better to make the necessary payment as soon as possible. Failure to do so within the next 60 days means the traffic authorities will take legal action against you. These are the steps that you can follow to make the e-challan payment:

• Log on to the following link: https://echallan.parivahan.gov.in/index/accused-challan.
• Provide the necessary details like driving license number, challan number, etc. where the website requires you to.
• After you have entered the necessary details, you need to click on the ‘get detail’ option.
• You will see the e-challan status on your screen. Click on the ‘Pay now’ option to start your payment.
• The next step is to select a payment mode for your e-challan. The options available to you will be debit cards, credit cards, and net banking. Once you have selected an option and made the payment, you will receive a message on your registered mobile number confirming your payment.
• You also can use digital wallets like PayTm, PhonePe, GPay, etc. to pay your traffic e-challan.

If you are not familiar with doing things online, there is always the option to pay fines offline. This way of paying fines involves visiting your nearest traffic police station or RTO office and making your payment over the counter.

Steps to Check Traffic E-Challan Status Online

Here is how you can check your e-challan status online:

• Log on to https://echallan.parivahan.gov.in/
• Go to the ‘Check Challan Status’ section.
• The new page that opens up next will require you to provide your vehicle number or driving license to check if your vehicle has any traffic violations listed against it.
• In the case your vehicle is not involved in any traffic violations, the website will show you a dialog box showing the words ‘Challan Not Found’.
• On the other hand, if you have committed traffic violations, you will see a row showing the list of all of them. It will show you the list of offences and the fine that has to be paid for them.

What happens if you don’t pay the traffic e-challan?

Simply put, the e-challan is a compulsory payment and not making it means ignoring stringent traffic laws. Hence, as a penalty for breaking the law, you will have to face legal action from traffic authorities.

Upon missing your payment deadline, you will be sent a court summon at your registered address. At the court, you will have to explain to a judge why you made the traffic violations and why you have missed your e-challan payment. Based on your explanation, the judge gives a verdict.

In the rare case that drivers do not show up at court even after a summon, their driving license is suspended.

How can you avoid the E-challan?

Here are a few tips that you can use to avoid getting a traffic e-challan:

• Drive smartly by following lane discipline, following traffic signals, wearing helmets/ seatbelts, following the speed limit.
• Make sure you have a suitable car insurance