New Delhi: The number of challans issued for traffic violations has doubled in the past four years, while unpaid outstanding amounts have also increased significantly.
The Supreme Court recently heard a petition regarding the electronic enforcement of traffic violations and the collection of unpaid traffic “e-challan” fines.
At that time, the court noted that the real challenge was not issuing ‘e-challans’ but collecting the fines imposed through them, and it recommended that fines imposed on traffic violators through ‘e-challans’ could be collected by linking them with electronic payment.
This proposal has sparked a debate and also drawn fresh attention to the growing number of unresolved traffic violations across the country. In that regard, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the number of challans issued for traffic violations has doubled over the past 4 years.
Accordingly, the number of traffic challans increased from 4.2 crore in 2021 to 9.6 crore in 2025. In the first nine months of 2026, this number reached 7.8 crore. As the number of fines increases, the amount of unpaid dues also rises.
The share of unpaid challans has been steadily and sharply increasing over the past several years. In 2022, nearly 48% of the total challans issued were pending. This rate rose to 55% in 2023, 63% in 2024, 70% in 2025, and 82% in 2026.
Uttar Pradesh tops the list: The highest number of traffic challans, about 9 crore, have been issued in Uttar Pradesh. This is followed by 8.2 crore in Telangana, 4.7 crore in Kerala, and 2.4 crore in Haryana.
