HC orders immediate notification to clear 278,000 pending traffic challans via lok adalat

The directions came during the hearing of a writ petition filed last November by Rani, a Patna resident, who sought the removal of procedural hurdles in disposing of traffic challan cases through lok adalats

The Patna High Court on Monday directed the state transport department to issue an immediate notification enabling traffic challan cases to be taken up at the upcoming National Lok Adalat scheduled for May 9, aiming to substantially reduce the mounting backlog of e-challan cases.

Patna high court (HT Photo)

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo and Justice Harish Kumar instructed the transport secretary to appear virtually and update the court on progress regarding the proposed one-time settlement scheme for eligible traffic challan cases. The court also fixed April 27 as the next hearing date and directed the filing of an affidavit detailing steps taken, including issuing the notification.

The directions came during the hearing of a writ petition filed last November by Rani, a Patna resident, who sought the removal of procedural hurdles in disposing of traffic challan cases through lok adalats.

In its interim order, uploaded on Tuesday, the court noted that approximately 2.78 lakh traffic challans are currently pending across Bihar, underscoring the urgency for a streamlined resolution mechanism.

The bench referred to practices in states such as Odisha, Gujarat and Delhi, where notifications under Section 200(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 allow for compounding of select traffic offences at reduced rates. Bihar, the court observed, does not yet have such a notification in place.

Penalties under settlement schemes, as per an Odisha government notification, are significantly reduced — for instance, ₹500 for not wearing a seat belt (against ₹1,000 under the MV Act) and ₹1,000 for using a mobile phone while driving (against ₹5,000 under the MV Act).

Officials from the Bihar State Legal Services Authority indicated that the absence of a concessional framework hampered the disposal of traffic challan cases during the previous Lok Adalat held on March 14. Member secretary Dharmendra Kumar Singh said the transport department was “very reluctant” to reduce penalty amounts, which resulted in poor disposal rates and public dissatisfaction.

According to BSLSA data, shared by Sia Shruti, assistant registrar, 8,967 of the 89,000 cases taken up during the March Lok Adalat related to traffic challans, but most remained unresolved.

Registrar Ashutosh Ravi told this reporter that the transport department has now committed before the court through an affidavit to implement a ‘Traffic Challan One-Time Settlement Scheme, 2026’ for the financial year 2026–27. As per the proposed framework, challans older than 90 days would be eligible for settlement or compounding through the Lok Adalat in accordance with provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The court will review compliance and progress in its next hearing on April 27.