Pending traffic challan: check, pay or contest

Banthry Prep. General information, not legal advice. Portals and dates change; confirm on the official site before you act.

1. Check

Open echallan.parivahan.gov.in (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways).
Search by vehicle number, challan number or driving licence number.
Note each challan's number, date, offence, amount and status (pending online, or sent to court).

Pay online on the same portal and download the receipt.
A challan sent to court is usually paid or answered on the Virtual Courts portal: vcourts.gov.in.
Keep every receipt. Pending challans can hold up RTO work such as transfer of ownership.

Paying is treated as accepting the offence. If you dispute it, contest before you pay.
Raise a grievance on the Parivahan portal (some cities, such as Delhi, run their own traffic police portal), or respond before the virtual court or the Magistrate.
Attach evidence: photos, location data, proof the vehicle was elsewhere, or proof it had been sold.

National Lok Adalats in 2026 were notified for 14 March, 9 May, 12 September and 12 December (second Saturdays). Confirm your state's date and booking rules with the State Legal Services Authority.
Compoundable traffic challans can usually be settled there. Non-compoundable ones, such as drunk driving, usually cannot.
Book or download your slip on your state's portal when bookings open.
Carry: the challan printout, the slip, your driving licence, the RC and an ID.

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