Delhi traffic challan: How you can get traffic challans waived off or settle at special courts from Dec 20

Special evening courts are being organised by Delhi Traffic Police from December 20, 2024, from 5 pm to 7 pm where you can settle your pending Delhi Traffic Police challan cases. The evening court sessions will be held at Dwarka Courts, Karkardooma Courts, Patiala House Courts, Rohini Courts, Rouse Avenue Courts, Saket Courts and Tis Hazari Courts. So, If you had missed the Delhi Traffic Police Lok Adalat on December 14, 2024, you have another chance to go to court and settle your pending challan. So, vehicle owners troubled with pending traffic challans act now and grab this chance to settle your pending Delhi Police traffic challans. Do remember that the district courts where this special evening session will be held can dispose of challans pending up to December 31, 2021.

Delhi Traffic Police said on December 16, 2024, "Special Evening Courts for settling pending Traffic Challans to be held from 20th December 2024 in District Courts of Delhi on all working days of Courts from 5 pm to 7 pm. The link for downloading challan prints will open from 16th December 2024."

Ajay Chaudhry, Special Commissioner ( Traffic) of Delhi Police, says, "I urge the vehicle owners who have any pending Delhi Traffic Police challans as on the specified date to come forward and settle it at the special evening courts organised by Delhi District Court in co-ordination with Delhi Traffic Police. As per available information, up to 200 challans can get settled each day in the 12 district courts of Delhi. Please note that any state registration vehicle’s traffic challan can get settled provided the challan is issued by Delhi Traffic Police.

According to Advocate Ashish Parashar, Delhi High Court, "Only normal traffic violations will be handled in the these special courts which for example includes fines for not wearing a seatbelt, not wearing a helmet, or jumping a red light. You can request a reduction or dismissal of the fine in such cases. If your vehicle’s challan was issued due to a minor traffic rule violation and your vehicle was not involved in any criminal activity or accident, the challan can be waived or reduced. Hence, the reduction and waiver of traffic challans will completely depend upon the facts of each case and at the discretion of the Hon'ble Special Judges assigned to these Special Evening Courts."

Steps to take for making an appointment at evening court for settling the pending Delhi Traffic Police challans
Here's a step-by-step guide for making an appointment for the evening court:

• Go to the Evening Court Portal URL: https://traffic.delhipolice.gov.in/evecourtddc
• Enter the vehicle number and fulfil the captcha challenge.
• To proceed with printing pending challans and notices, click the 'SEARCH' button. This will retrieve: -
• Virtual court challans and notices pending up to December 31, 2021, and
• Evening court challans and notices pending up to the current date.

Delhi Police has stated that in such evening courts, a maximum of five pending notices or challans will be displayed for disposal.

According to Delhi Police, here are some other important things to know:

• "To access the Evening Court portal, ensure your mobile number is registered against your vehicle at the Transport Office. If not, a registration prompt will appear. To register, visit the Parivahan Sewa portal (https://parivahan.gov.in/parivahan) and select 'Vehicle-Related Service' under 'Online Services.' Once registered, you can download challans and notices from the Evening Court portal after entering the OTP
• Upon successful OTP verification, you will be redirected to select the date of the evening court, court complex, court, and time slot for your appointment.
• Total available slots available in different courts (complexes) will be displayed on the screen.
• Select the date of disposal from the available dates (highlighted in green). Once selected, the background colour of the chosen date will change to blue.
• Click on court complex or select court complex from the list and then select court from the available list then select a time slot (5:00 pm - 6.00 pm) or (5:00 pm - 6.00 pm). Once the request is submitted the 'Print' button will appear, click that and then print the pending challans and notices.
• If a user fails to appear in the evening court on the scheduled date, they can book a fresh appointment to re-download pending notices and challans, which will be available three days after the missed evening court date."

Delhi Police also highlighted that they have introduced a reprint feature for previously processed notices/challans, accessible before the evening court date.

How Delhi Traffic Police's Lok Adalat helped a Delhi NCR resident
Chetan Sawhney, Marketing Professional based out of Delhi said to ET Wealth Online:

"As an Indian citizen, dealing with court matters always felt intimidating. Like most of us, I used to quietly pay my traffic challans online through the virtual court system to avoid the hassle. But recently, I experienced something remarkable, thanks to the Delhi Traffic Police’s Lok Adalat initiative. Let me tell you how I managed to settle three hefty car challans worth Rs 50,000 for just Rs 500. Yes, you read that right. It was all thanks to a fair and understanding judge who considered my situation and reduced the charges to a nominal amount. The whole process was seamless, from generating my car challan tokens online to appearing in front of the judge. Everything was straightforward and efficient. I didn’t need a lawyer either. In fact, someone had approached me earlier, promising to waive off my challans for 50% of the total amount in exchange for a hefty fee. I’m so glad I ignored them and by following the proper government procedures, I ended up paying just 5% of the original amount.

This experience has changed my perspective on court proceedings. If you’ve got pending challans, don’t waste money on middlemen or lawyers. Trust the system, and you might just be pleasantly surprised at how easy and affordable it can be."
Yatharth Rohila, Advocate & Partner, Aeddhaas Legal LLP, says: "You can request to impose a leaner penalty also. So suppose if a challan is Rs 1,000 then you can simply apologise to the court and ask to court to take a lenient view. The court at its own discretion can lower the challan amount to INR 500/- or INR 200/- or if the challan is of an advocate itself then waive off the whole challan amount. However, it is purely on the discretion of the presiding judge.

The introduction of permanent evening courts is a commendable initiative by the Delhi Traffic Police and the judiciary. These courts eliminate the limitations of Lok Adalats, such as the cap on challans and the long wait times. Evening courts operate like regular courts, with duties assigned to Judicial Magistrates on a monthly basis. They start after 3 PM and are quite effective. By operating in double shifts, evening courts also help reduce the overall burden on the judiciary and expedite the disposal of pending challans.

Rohila says, a printout is mandatory because it contains crucial details such as the challan no., vehicle number, vehicle owners details, CNR number and receipts along with barcode. "These are essential for submission in the evening courts. Once the fine is deposited, one copy of the receipt will be retained by the court, another will be sent to the traffic department, and the claimant will keep the third copy as proof of payment and compounding of the challan."

Tushar Kumar, Advocate, Supreme Court of India, says: "The recently promulgated Special Evening Courts, an initiative of the Delhi District Courts in collaboration with the Delhi Traffic Police, constitute a commendable effort towards the expeditious disposal of pending traffic challans within the National Capital Territory of Delhi. These courts, operational from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on all working days commencing 20th December 2024, are aimed at providing an efficient and accessible platform for individuals to address traffic violations issued by the Delhi Traffic Police. Jurisdictionally, these courts appear to be confined to the adjudication of challans arising out of infractions committed within Delhi, irrespective of the state of registration of the offending vehicle. Consequently, challans issued by traffic authorities of other states, such as Uttar Pradesh or Haryana, remain beyond the purview of this initiative unless the violation occurred within the territorial jurisdiction of Delhi. This specificity ensures the effective administration of justice within the parameters of Delhi’s traffic regulatory framework."

"All cases, regardless of the fine amount, will be heard. These Special Evening Courts will handle minor traffic violations, fines which may not be completely waived but could be reduced, or cases may be dismissed through a mutual settlement," says Parashar.