Thousands of traffic violators queued up at the District Courts Complex in Sector 43 from as early as 7 am on Saturday, eager to clear their pending traffic challans.
Despite the introduction of virtual courts in September 2023, designed to streamline the process through online payments, long lines remain the norm for paying fines.
By the end of the day, a whopping 9,596 traffic challans were settled at the Lok Adalats, and ₹4.7 lakh was realised as fine.
This, despite the availability of the website “https://vcourts.gov.in”, which facilitates online payment and eliminates the need for in-person visits.
Due to the extensive CCTV surveillance across the city, hundreds of e-challans are issued daily by the Chandigarh Police for traffic violations, placing a significant burden on regular courts.
While challans must be settled within 60 days through the website, many violators let the deadline lapse, hoping for a reduced fine at Lok Adalats, leading to the long queues at the courts.
Besides traffic challans, hundreds of people also reached the court for a variety of other cases, including cheque bounce, domestic violence, matrimonial issues, recovery disputes and motor accident claims, among others.
The court complex was bustling with activity, with separate counters for women and extra police forces deployed to manage the crowd.
{{/usCountry}}The court complex was bustling with activity, with separate counters for women and extra police forces deployed to manage the crowd.
{{/usCountry}}A total of 13 benches were set up to address the numerous cases.
The Lok Adalats were organised under the aegis of the National Legal Services Authority and under the guidance of justice Sheel Nagu, Punjab and Haryana high court chief justice-cum-patron-in-chief, State Legal Services Authority (SLSA), Chandigarh, and justice Sureshwar Thakur, executive chairman, SLSA.
In total, 2,182 cases were settled through the day, including 1,733 under the Negotiable Instruments Act, involving a hefty sum of ₹1.44 crore.