FASTag penalty despite ₹210 balance: Chandigarh motorist gets ₹4,000

By Akash Gupta · 09 Nov, 2026

A Chandigarh consumer commission ordered a ₹100 refund and ₹4,000 compensation after a reported FASTag penalty despite a positive wallet balance, highlighting the evidence drivers should keep.

FASTag penalty despite ₹210 balance: Chandigarh motorist gets ₹4,000

Reports published by The Times of India on 8 November 2026 and Amar Ujala on 31 October 2026 say a Chandigarh District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ordered a ₹100 refund and ₹4,000 compensation after a motorist was charged a FASTag penalty despite a reported positive wallet balance. The order matters to highway users because it shows what evidence can help when a toll deduction or penalty does not match the tag account record.

The reports trace the dispute to a 17 June 2022 Chandigarh-to-Jalandhar trip, while Amar Ujala said the order was pronounced on 22 October 2026. It is not a new nationwide toll-fee change or a blanket promise of compensation; it is a consumer case that turns on the transaction record, the applicable FASTag conditions and the response from the parties involved.

Key takeaways

The motorist was charged ₹200 at Behram toll plaza, including a reported ₹100 penalty for alleged insufficient FASTag balance.
The complainant said the FASTag wallet showed ₹210 at the time of the 17 June 2022 journey from Chandigarh to Jalandhar.
Reports say the commission directed NHAI, the toll plaza and the payment aggregator to refund ₹100 and pay ₹4,000 towards compensation and litigation-related costs.
NHAI’s February 2021 passenger-vehicle guidance said a car, jeep or van could pass while the FASTag account or wallet balance was non-negative.
For a current dispute, keep the issuer’s transaction record, SMS, toll receipt and complaint reference before escalating through official channels.

What the Chandigarh FASTag order says

The Times of India reported on 8 November 2026 that the Chandigarh commission directed the National Highways Authority of India, Behram toll plaza and the payment aggregator to refund the ₹100 disputed amount and pay ₹4,000 for mental agony, harassment and litigation expenses. Amar Ujala had reported the same case on 31 October and said the order was pronounced on 22 October 2026.

According to the reports, the motorist was travelling from Chandigarh to Jalandhar on 17 June 2022 when ₹200 was charged at Behram toll plaza. The deduction included a ₹100 penalty for an alleged insufficient FASTag balance. The complainant maintained that the wallet had ₹210, a positive balance, at the time of the transaction. The reports do not describe this as a general refund scheme for all FASTag users.

The payment aggregator reportedly argued that ₹150 of the wallet balance was a mandatory security deposit that could not be used for the toll, and that the chargeback period had expired. The commission rejected that defence in the reported order. The Times of India also said NHAI and the toll operator were proceeded against ex parte after not appearing despite receiving notices. That detail is important: the ruling is based on this complaint’s record and does not, by itself, change the terms of every FASTag issuer or toll plaza.

Why the non-negative balance rule mattered

NHAI’s official 10 February 2021 press release removed the requirement for an additional minimum threshold in passenger-segment FASTag accounts. It said users of cars, jeeps and vans should be allowed to pass when the account or wallet balance was non-negative. If the balance became negative after the toll crossing, the bank could recover the amount from the security deposit and replenish that deposit when the user recharged.

This is different from saying that every deduction or penalty is automatically invalid. A driver still needs to check the vehicle category, the tag’s status, the toll transaction, the time stamp and the reason shown by the issuer. Commercial vehicle operators should also avoid assuming that a passenger-vehicle condition applies to their tag without checking the relevant NHAI and issuer instructions.

What drivers should do after a wrong deduction

Save the transaction trail. Keep the FASTag SMS, issuer-app screenshot or statement, the toll receipt, the vehicle registration number, and the date and time of the crossing. If the balance was positive, record the balance shown as close to the event as possible.
Check the reason before disputing. Match the amount, toll plaza and time in the issuer’s record with the receipt. Also check whether the charge is a normal user fee, a reported penalty, a duplicate deduction or a transaction you do not recognise. The FASTag balance, recharge and wrong-deduction guide covers the basic checks in one place.
Raise the complaint through the right channel. A Press Information Bureau release dated 22 July 2026 says highway users can use the 24x7 National Highways helpline 1033, the dedicated false-deduction email, the FASTag issuer’s helpline or the RajmargYatra app for user-fee issues. Ask for a complaint number and retain the response.
Escalate with documents. If the issuer or toll operator does not resolve the issue, keep the full correspondence and transaction record for the next grievance channel. A consumer commission’s compensation order is fact-specific; it should not be read as a guaranteed amount for every complaint.

What changes for highway users now

The immediate practical lesson is documentation. Before a long trip, a driver can check the tag balance and then use the toll-charge calculator to estimate the expected route cost. The calculator helps with trip planning, while the issuer’s record and the toll receipt are the evidence needed if an actual deduction differs from what was expected.

The case also shows why a positive balance alone should be read alongside the official transaction details. A mismatch can involve the amount, vehicle classification, tag status or a system record, so the first step is to identify exactly what was charged. The reported ₹4,000 award came from the commission’s assessment of one motorist’s evidence and the parties’ responses, not from a new national compensation tariff.

Reader takeaway

For passenger vehicles, NHAI’s published guidance has long focused on whether the FASTag wallet is non-negative rather than on an extra minimum threshold. If a toll system still applies a penalty despite that condition, save the records immediately, complain through the official channel and keep the reference number. The Chandigarh order is a reminder that a small deduction can become a larger dispute when the account history and toll record are preserved.