Supreme Court orders curbs on licence renewal, vehicle registration for motorists with unpaid traffic fines

The Supreme Court has directed States and Union Territories to block a range of online and vehicle-related services for motorists with outstanding traffic fines, including registration renewals, fitness and pollution-under-control certificates, ownership transfers and driving licence renewals. The court was informed that e-challans worth about ₹49,194.05 crore remained outstanding across the country, while ₹26,175.05 crore had been recovered so far.

A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan directed that vehicles with unpaid e-challans be blacklisted on the central Parivahan portal, effectively preventing their sale or transfer until the dues are cleared. In cases involving multiple traffic violations, the authorities have also been directed to withhold renewal of driving licences and take steps to suspend existing licences.