The road transport ministry has proposed major amendments to the Motor Vehicle (MV) Rules aimed at improving traffic law compliance. Under the draft notification, violators of traffic and other MV rules must either pay their challans or contest them with documentary evidence within 45 days of issuance.
RTO Services to Be Blocked for Defaulters
A key provision states that regional transport offices (RTOs) will not process any applications related to vehicle registration or driving licences until pending dues are cleared. Additionally, vehicles and licence holders with unpaid challans will be flagged as “not to be transacted” on the Vahan and Sarathi portals, effectively freezing their transactions.
Dispute Process and Deadlines
The new system allows recipients of challans to contest them online by submitting evidence before an authority designated by the respective state government. If a challan is not challenged within 45 days, it will be considered accepted.
If a challan is contested but the authority does not resolve the case within 30 days or decides to cancel it, the penalty becomes unenforceable. Those who disagree with the decision can approach the court within 30 days by depositing 50% of the penalty amount.
Call for Clear Procedures and Accountability
Experts have cautioned that robust systems must be in place before implementation. They emphasize defining the responsibilities of the designated authorities and ensuring prompt removal of names from defaulter lists once payments are made. Some have also suggested penalty provisions for authorities that fail to update records after dues are cleared.
Stricter Enforcement and Digital Integration
The draft also proposes that police officers or authorised officials can issue challans physically or generate them automatically, with delivery timelines of 15 days (in person) or three days (electronically). These steps aim to strengthen enforcement, promote accountability, and ensure faster resolution of traffic violation cases, ultimately improving road discipline across the country.
