How to pay or contest a traffic challan online (virtual court)

You can check any e-challan on echallan.parivahan.gov.in, pay it online, or contest it with evidence. Under the January 2026 amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, you generally get 45 days from the date of the challan to pay or contest it. If you do nothing, the challan is treated as accepted and your vehicle can be flagged “Not to be Transacted”. Challans already sent to a court are handled on the virtual court site, vcourts.gov.in, where you choose to pay or contest. Which route applies depends on your state, so read your challan SMS closely.

Step 1: check the challan and ignore fake links

Open echallan.parivahan.gov.in by typing the address yourself. Search with the challan number, the vehicle number or your licence number. For every entry, note the date, time, place, offence, section, amount and status (pending, paid or sent to court). Open the evidence photo if the portal shows one and compare the number plate, vehicle type and colour with yours.

Fake challan messages are now common. A text that says “pay within 24 hours” and sends you to a strange link, or asks you to install an app, is a scam. Never install an app from a message. If you have already paid or shared card details on such a link, follow the steps in our guide on what to do in the first hour after cyber fraud.

Step 2: decide whether to pay or contest

Pay when you did commit the offence and the amount matches the section on the challan. Contest when the challan is factually wrong. Typical grounds that succeed with proof:

• Wrong vehicle. The photo shows a different make, colour or number plate.
• Vehicle sold. You sold the car months ago, but ownership was never transferred on the Parivahan system. Camera challans go to the registered owner, so they still reach you.
• Vehicle elsewhere. A service centre job card, a toll receipt or a cab app trip log places it somewhere else.
• Wrong section or amount. Ask which provision was applied. A challan must rest on a real provision of the Motor Vehicles Act or the Rules.
• Emergency. You were rushing a patient to hospital and have the hospital record.

Do not pay a challan you believe is wrong just to be rid of it. Paying generally counts as admitting the offence, and every offence now counts towards the five-offences-in-a-year rule for licence disqualification (see our guide on driving licence suspension and cancellation).

Step 3: contest on the portal or the virtual court

Where the new grievance system is running in your state:

1. Log in to the challan on the portal within 45 days of the challan.
2. Choose to contest, write a short reason and upload documents such as the RC, sale letter, job card or photographs.
3. Save the acknowledgement and the date. The authority designated by your state decides the contest. Reports of the rule text say that if the authority does not decide within the next 30 days, or quashes the challan with written reasons, the challan ceases to have effect. Check the current notified text for your state.
4. If your contest is rejected with reasons, you can pay within the time allowed, or apply to court after depositing 50 percent of the amount.

Where the challan is already before a virtual court:

1. Open vcourts.gov.in and select the court for your state or the department that issued the challan.
2. Search by challan number, vehicle number, mobile number or CNR number.
3. Open the case. You will see the offence and the proposed fine, with options to pay or to contest.
4. Choose contest, add a short remark on why the challan is wrong, and submit. Keep the acknowledgement.
5. The matter then goes for hearing before the regular court. Online payment is no longer available for it, so attend on the date given with your evidence.

For old, minor, compoundable challans that are already in court, a National Lok Adalat can be a faster route. That is covered in our guide on settling traffic challans at a Lok Adalat. Remember that any reduction is for the bench to decide, and a Lok Adalat award is final.

What happens if you ignore a challan

Under the 2026 rules the cost of silence is real. After 45 days without payment or contest, the challan is treated as accepted. Applications linked to the vehicle or licence, such as transfer of ownership, change of address, permits and fitness certificates, are not processed, and the portal flags the vehicle as “Not to be Transacted”. Tax payments are excepted. MoRTH has clarified that a “transaction” includes services such as issuing a PUC certificate, so a lapsed PUC can become harder to renew.

There is a second cost. Compounded or paid offences still count as offences. Five or more within one calendar year can lead to disqualification proceedings before the licensing authority.

Example: Arjun in Gurugram sold his old car to a dealer in March but never completed the transfer. In June four overspeeding e-challans reach him. He uploads the dated delivery note signed by the dealer on the portal within 45 days, contests all four, and then completes the transfer. Had he ignored the SMS, the four would have been treated as accepted.

What to do in the first week

• Update your mobile number against your vehicle on the Parivahan record, so notices actually reach you.
• Check your vehicle and licence on the portal now, not when you try to sell or renew.
• Put the 45-day date in your phone calendar the day a challan arrives.
• Keep every receipt and acknowledgement for at least three years, and check that the status shows paid or disposed.
• If the status still shows pending after payment, raise a grievance on the portal with the transaction reference.

Also note that police cannot force you to clear pending challans at the roadside. The Telangana High Court said so in January 2026, and our guide on what traffic police can ask for explains the limits of a traffic stop.

Want the full set of checklists and model letters in one place? See Traffic Challans and Road Law: Your Rights under the Motor Vehicles Act, ₹199, or browse all certificate courses.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do I have to contest an e-challan?

Under the January 2026 amendment to rule 167, generally 45 days from the challan. After that it is treated as accepted. Check your state’s notice, because the grievance system is being rolled out state by state.

Can I contest a challan if I was not driving?

Yes. Camera challans go to the registered owner. As owner you can contest by showing who was driving or that the vehicle was elsewhere or had been sold, with documents.

Is a virtual court the same as the portal contest?

No. The portal contest under the 2026 rules is decided by an authority designated by the state. A virtual court is an online court on vcourts.gov.in for challans already sent to a court. Your SMS or the state traffic police site says which applies.

What if I forgot a challan for years?

Check it now on the portal. Old unpaid challans may already be in a court, and can block services for the vehicle. You may be able to pay online, contest with evidence or, for minor offences, use a National Lok Adalat if one is announced.

Can I pay a challan on the spot in cash?

Where an authorised officer issues a challan on a device, payment is recorded as an e-challan. Never pay cash without a challan or receipt. You also cannot be forced to pay old challans at the roadside.

Quick quiz

Sources

• Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, s.200 (compounding) and s.136A (electronic enforcement)
• Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, rules 167 and 167A, as amended by the Central Motor Vehicles (Third Amendment) Rules, 2026
• eChallan portal of the Parivahan system (echallan.parivahan.gov.in) and the eCourts virtual court portal (vcourts.gov.in)
• Telangana High Court, order of 20 January 2026 on coercive recovery of pending challans
• Press reports of 23 September 2026 on the Delhi government putting its challan notification on hold (check the current position)

This page is for education and general information, not legal advice for a specific case. Law as on 7 November 2026.