Punjab E-Challan System Challenged in Lahore High Court
The Punjab e-challan system has been challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC), with a petition saying motorists are being fined for traffic violations committed by other vehicles. The challenge raises fresh questions about how the system identifies vehicles and verifies fines before they are issued.
A civil miscellaneous application has been filed in the court as part of a pending constitutional petition. Filed by Advocate Azhar Siddique, the application alleges irregularities in the system and raises concerns over fines issued without proper vehicle verification. ProPakistani reported the filing on Thursday.
The application argues that identifying vehicles solely through their number plates, without checking their make, model and colour, increases the risk of incorrect fines. It also maintains that mentioning an officer's name on an e-challan does not establish that the violation was independently verified.
Wrong vehicle, wrong fine
The application cites the case of a Gujrat resident whose 2018 model car received five e-challans for traffic violations in Lahore. Photographs attached to the challans allegedly showed a different vehicle model from his own car.
The resident claimed that he had travelled from Naran to Gujrat, and that his car was not in Lahore when the violations occurred. His case, the application says, shows how the system can penalise a motorist for a vehicle he does not own and a journey he did not make.
In another case cited in the application, a lawyer's vehicle reportedly received four e-challans totalling Rs11,000. The application presents these cases as evidence that the problem is not limited to a single mistake, but reflects a wider flaw in how vehicles are identified.
What the petitioner wants
The petitioner has urged the court to ensure transparency, accountability, proper human verification and an effective mechanism for motorists to challenge incorrect challans. He maintained that technology should facilitate citizens rather than penalise them without adequate verification.
The application also warned that unpaid fines can lead to vehicle confiscation and restrictions on ownership transfers and token tax payments, penalising motorists who were fined wrongly.
The warning matters because the penalties are severe. Feature Pakistan reported that Lahore traffic police began court action over unpaid e-challan fines on 2 November, after motorists ignored a 10-day notice to pay. Fines double if unpaid within 10 days.
The Punjab e-challan system under strain
The e-challan system was introduced to cut out on-the-spot disputes and to make traffic enforcement uniform across Punjab. Cameras record violations, and fines are sent to the registered owner of the vehicle. In principle, the system removes the need for a constable to stop a driver at the roadside.
In practice, the petition says, the system depends entirely on reading a number plate correctly. When a plate is misread, or copied onto another vehicle, the fine lands on the wrong person. The petitioner says a human check of the vehicle's make, model and colour against the record would catch most errors before a challan is issued.
Lahore's traffic police have been tightening enforcement in other ways as well. Feature Pakistan reported that Lahore police registered cases for serious traffic violations in October, and that traffic fines on Lahore's Ring Road were increased the same month. The e-challan challenge now puts the camera-based system itself before the court.
Punjab's roads are deadly: Feature Pakistan reported that 464 people died in road crashes across Punjab in October. Enforcement is meant to cut that toll, but the petition argues it must be accurate to be fair.
What happens next
The application is part of a constitutional petition already pending before the court. The court will decide when to take it up and whether to seek a response from the Punjab government and the traffic police.
If the court accepts the arguments, it could direct the authorities to add human verification and a clear route for contesting wrong fines. For now, a motorist fined for a vehicle that is not theirs has little choice but to go to court.
Frequently asked questions
What has been challenged in the Lahore High Court?
A civil miscellaneous application challenges alleged irregularities in Punjab's e-challan system, saying fines are issued without proper vehicle verification and that motorists are fined for violations committed by other vehicles.
Who filed the application?
Advocate Azhar Siddique filed the application as part of a pending constitutional petition in the Lahore High Court.
What example does the petition give?
It cites a Gujrat resident whose 2018 model car received five e-challans for violations in Lahore, although photographs attached to the challans showed a different vehicle model. The man said his car was not in Lahore at the time.
What happens if an e-challan is not paid?
Unpaid fines can lead to vehicle confiscation and restrictions on ownership transfers and token tax payments. Fines double if they are not paid within 10 days, and Lahore traffic police have begun court action over unpaid fines.
What does the petitioner want the court to order?
Transparency, accountability, proper human verification of challans, and an effective mechanism for motorists to challenge incorrect fines.
