What is an e-challan?
A challan is issued against your name in case you are caught violating the traffic rules. It is issued according to the rules mentioned in The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Previously they were issued as pieces of paper. However, with the growing modernization, challans are issued with the help of an electronically aided system using CCTV footage. These electronically generated challans are referred to as e-challan.
How to check e-challan status?
To check the e-challan status, one must log in to the E-Challan – Digital Traffic/Transport Enforcement Solution website for the e-challans. There the person will have to choose the Check Challan Status at the right-hand corner of the website. After successfully clicking, the website will then redirect the person to another page, where they need to enter their challan details, i.e., Challan number – Vehicle number – Driving Licence number (DL). After they have entered any one of the details mentioned earlier and the captcha code, the next job is to click on the ‘Check Challan Status.’ If a valid challan is found against the mentioned details, the page will display its fine-related details along with payment options.
How to pay the fine against the e-challan?
If an e-challan is generated for your vehicle, the mobile number mentioned during its registration will receive the challan details. After going through the details and logging into the website, you will know the exact amount. There are two ways of paying the fine.
The easiest way is to pay it online. The assigned authorities of Road Transport and Highways of India have created a website for paying the fine online. You can easily find the e-challan payment website applicable to your particular Indian state. For example, if you have an e-challan generated in Uttar Pradesh, you will have to search for the website applicable for Uttar Pradesh e challan payment. Similarly, if you have the e-challan issued in some other state and opt for the Uttar Pradesh e-challan payment website, it will show you an error. The e-challan generated against your name will contain a unique challan number. After you visit the website and enter this number in the box provided for the said purpose, you can pay the fine.
If you want to pay offline, you have to visit your nearest police station to make the payment against your e-challan number.
What is the penalty for not paying the fine on time?
An appointed constable will visit your house and collect the fine if not paid otherwise. Furthermore, the person will have a court case issued against their name, giving rise to many other hassles. They will have to visit the courts regularly and justify their reason for not paying the fine on time or otherwise, which after some time becomes tiresome. The worst-case scenario is getting your driving licence suspended. For example, if you belong from Uttar Pradesh and have failed to pay the fine under ordinary circumstances, your driving licence Uttar Pradesh can be suspended.