Delhi changes process to challenge traffic challans
New Delhi, September 18, 2026: Delhi’s traffic challan dispute process has been revised. Vehicle owners who believe an e-challan has been wrongly issued will first have to challenge it before the designated grievance redressal authority instead of approaching a court directly. The revised framework provides a formal grievance stage before a challan dispute can move to court.
Step 1: Challenge the challan before the authority
A vehicle owner can submit a grievance against the challan through the designated mechanism. The authority will examine the details submitted by the vehicle owner along with records linked to the challan, including camera footage or other digital evidence. If the authority finds that the challan was issued incorrectly, it can be cancelled at that stage without the matter going to court.
What if the authority rejects the complaint?
If the grievance is rejected and the vehicle owner still wants to contest the challan in court, 50% of the challan amount must be deposited before the case can proceed. For example, on a ₹2,000 challan, ₹1,000 would have to be deposited. On a ₹5,000 challan, the amount would be ₹2,500. The 50% payment is a condition for taking the matter to court and does not by itself mean that the vehicle owner has accepted the challan.
What happens to the 50% amount?
If the court ultimately cancels the challan, the deposited amount can be returned. If the court upholds the challan, the remaining 50% has to be paid and the amount already deposited is adjusted towards the total fine.
45-day window to act
Under the revised framework, motorists get 45 days from the date of issuance of the challan to either pay it or challenge it through the designated grievance mechanism. If no action is taken within this period, the challan is treated as accepted and the penalty becomes payable within the following 30 days.
