Check Virtual Court Challan Status and Pay Online

What is a Court Challan?

A court challan is issued for severe traffic violations and needs to be settled in court after the hearing. Accidental cases, drink and drive cases, and negligent or rash driving amount to a court challan. It is very different from a normal traffic challan issued for not wearing a helmet or overspeeding because these trivial challans can be settled directly to the traffic inspector or through the e-Challan platforms. 

The court challans are mostly settled in the Traffic Magistrate Court where you’ll have to produce all your vehicle documents during the hearing. To simplify this process, virtual courts, or digital courts, have been set up by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. A virtual court is a digital court that is developed to pay your court challan fees. If you want to contest a court challan, that can also be done online through a virtual court.

Details Present on the Court Challan

If you read the court challan carefully, you will find multiple types of details on it. These details help you understand the nature of the challan and will also help you decide which action is to be taken. The following details can be found on a two wheeler challan or four wheeler challan that is referred to the court: 

1. Vehicle Details 

Details of the vehicle such as the vehicle number, engine number/chassis number (in case of an accident), and other vehicle details will be present on the court challan. 

2. Challan Details 

The details of the challan i.e. why it has been issued, the date of issuance, section and acts of Motor Vehicle rules that were violated by the driver, and location where the offence took place are recorded in the challan itself. 

3. Personal Details 

The details of the person who has committed the traffic offence along with his mobile number will also be present in the court challan. 

4. Fine Details 

The fine amount, date of court hearing, location i.e. court address where the hearing will take place, etc. will also be present in the challan. 

Going through the challan details is important to understand its nature and fine. If you feel that a court challan has been wrongly issued against your vehicle, you can also contest it in the court. The details regarding how the court challan can be contested or settled in the court are given in the below sections.

How to Settle a Court Challan?

A court challan can be settled online only if the offence does not fall in the severe category. For severe traffic violations such as drink and drive, reckless driving, etc. you have no other option than visiting the court in person and attending the court hearings. The following steps can help you settle a court challan: 

• Step 1: Use the details related to the court address, scheduled date, and time to attend the court hearing in-person. If you want to contest the case, it is recommended that you hire a lawyer who can defend your case. You need not hire a lawyer if you want to simply attend the court and settle the penalty fee.

• Step 2: Once the hearing starts, you’ll be asked to stand before the magistrate and accept your mistake. If you don’t accept your mistake, you will be asked to present any witnesses or proof that confirms your innocence. The court also accepts videographic or photographic evidence. 

• Step 3: If you are found guilty, the magistrate determines the penalty amount with or without other forms of punishment. The other forms of punishment may include suspension of the licence, jail sentence, and other fines. Jail or imprisonment is usually imposed for severe traffic violations that harm others' health or property. 

A court challan is issued to ensure the accountability of people who do not follow the traffic rules. The cases in which public safety is at risk are often referred to the magistrate court. Therefore, court challans prove to be useful in establishing deterrence among the people and making them obey the traffic rules strictly. They also make the offenders more cautious and help them avoid such traffic violations in the future.

Documents required to Avoid challans

When driving it's important to always keep these documents to avoid traffic challans:

• Driving license

• Registration Certification (RC)

• Valid insurance

• Pollution under Control (PUC) certificate

Steps to Settle a Court Challan Online

A trivial court challan such as driving without a licence can also be settled outside the court through online means. For that, you will have to check whether your challan has been referred for virtual court challan online payment. To confirm this, visit the virtual court challan site and enter your challan number to view your case. If your case reflects here, you can proceed to pay the penalty or choose to contest the case. Here are a few steps that you need to follow to settle a court challan online through a virtual court: 

• Step 1: Open your web browser on your phone or laptop and visit the official website of Virtual Courts. 

• Step 2: Choose the RTO office to which your court challan belongs. Enter your vehicle number or challan number to view the case. After that, you will have to provide your mobile number as well. 

• Step 3: An OTP will be sent on your mobile number shortly thereafter. Enter it to complete the verification. 

• Step 4: Finally, you can choose to settle the virtual court challan online through UPI, net banking, debit card or credit card. 

• Step 5: You can also contest a court challan online through a virtual court. After viewing your case online, you will see an option called ‘Contest the Case’. Choose it to proceed further. 

• Step 6: Provide all the details such as your vehicle number, chassis number, etc. which are necessary to be filled. Now, complete the OTP verification as before and choose the option of transferring the case to a digital traffic court. After that, you will receive an acknowledgement or receipt showing the digital traffic court your case has been assigned to. Save this acknowledgement as it will be useful for the next steps. 

• Step 7: Now, open the official e-Challan Parivahan and after that, choose the grievance option. Enter your details such as your name, driving licence number, contact number, and challan number. Now, select the reason why you have preferred to contest the challan. 

• Step 8: Now, provide the correct description of the reason. For instance, explain whether the court challan was wrongly issued against your vehicle number or explain why you are innocent. If you have any proof in the form of video or images, you can submit those as well. 

• Step 9: Finally, you can submit your complaint online and wait for the pending action taken by the court. If the court accepts that you are innocent, the challan will be cancelled and you will also get an acknowledgement receipt for the same. 

If you do not submit sufficient evidence to prove your innocence, you will be asked to visit the court to pay the penalty fees directly. Or else, you can choose to clear the virtual court challan online payment through e-Challan Parivahan portal.

Things to Consider While Clearing a Court Challan

Remember these things while clearing a court challan in India: 

1. Pending Traffic Challans Are Also Referred to the Court 

The e-Challan that is not cleared for more than 90 days is often sent to the court. In this case, you will have to visit the court and clear the challan in-person. If you wish to clear it online, you can access the virtual court challan pay option. 

If your traffic challan has been forwarded to the physical court, you will have no option but to attend the hearing with your official vehicle documents. The location (address), date and time of the hearing will be mentioned in the details provided by the e-Challan virtual court page. 

2. Do Not Miss the Hearing 

If you miss the court hearing the court may issue a lookout notice against you. In this case, the police will search for you and may detain your vehicle. If you cannot explain the reason for missing the hearing, the court may seize your vehicle and suspend your driving licence. To avoid such occurrences, ensure that you attend the court case without fail. 

3. Carry All the Documents

Carrying your driving licence, Registration Certificate (RC) of your vehicle, vehicle insurance, and other vehicle-related documents is also important. Failing to do the same can turn against you during the court hearing and may lead to additional fines or actions. 

4. Bring All the Proofs the Establish Your Innocence

If you are contesting your case, ensure that you bring all the photographic or videographic evidence that proves your innocence with you. For example, if you have the CCTV footage that proves your innocence, bring that with you during the case hearing. The court may order a forensic test of your videographic or photographic evidence. If the evidence is found to be genuine in the forensic report, the court challan will be cancelled. 

5. Collect the Payment Receipt 

Do not forget to collect the payment receipt after processing a court challan online payment via digital apps, net banking, and other forms of online payment. Cash payments also need to be confirmed by receiving the acknowledgement of payment or receipt.