Kabir was stopped at a checkpoint in east Delhi during a pollution drive. His licence, registration and insurance were all in order. His PUC certificate had expired eleven days earlier and that alone cost him more than any other document on the list would have.
Delhi traffic rules are set by the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and enforced by Delhi Traffic Police, with penalties revised sharply upward by the 2019 amendment. This page covers the fine amounts, the rules behind them, the pollution challan that catches the most people out and how to check and pay a challan online.
Delhi traffic fines and penalties 2026
Most Delhi challans come from a short list of violations, penalised under the Motor Vehicles Act as applied in Delhi.
Table: Delhi traffic fines by violation
Violation | Penalty | Section |
|---|---|---|
Driving without a valid licence | Rs. 5,000 | 181 |
Driving while disqualified from holding a licence | Rs. 10,000 | 182(1) |
Driving without valid insurance | Rs. 2,000; Rs. 4,000 for a repeat | 196 |
Driving without a valid PUC certificate | Rs. 10,000, processed through the courts | 190(2) |
Drink driving | Rs. 10,000; Rs. 15,000 for a repeat, with imprisonment | 185 |
Dangerous driving, including handheld phone use | Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 5,000, with imprisonment | 184 |
Jumping a red light | Charged as dangerous driving under Section 184 | 184 |
Overspeeding, light motor vehicle | Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 2,000 | 183 |
Overspeeding, medium or heavy vehicle | Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 4,000 | 183 |
Racing or trials of speed | Rs. 5,000; Rs. 10,000 for a repeat | 189 |
Riding without a helmet, rider or pillion | Rs. 1,000 plus disqualification from holding a licence for 3 months | 194D |
Driving without a seat belt | Rs. 1,000 | 194B |
Failing to give way to an emergency vehicle | Rs. 10,000 | 194E |
Driving without a valid permit | Rs. 10,000 | 192A |
Offence by a juvenile | Rs. 25,000, with registration cancelled for a year and the juvenile ineligible for a licence until 25 | 199A |
Delhi compounds some of these offences, meaning you can settle them by paying online. Others are decided by a court, which is why certain challans show no payable amount on the portal.
Key traffic rules in Delhi
Under the Delhi motor vehicle rules, the violations that generate the most challans concern documents and protective equipment rather than driving behaviour.
Carry valid documents. Licence, registration certificate, insurance and PUC certificate . Digital copies held in DigiLocker or mParivahan are accepted in place of originals.
Wear a helmet, rider and pillion both. The Rs. 1,000 fine carries a three-month licence disqualification alongside it, which is the part most people do not expect.
Wear a seat belt, front and rear. The requirement covers passengers, not the driver alone.
Never drive after drinking. Delhi treats drink driving as a court matter rather than a payable challan, with imprisonment available alongside the fine.
Keep off the phone. Handheld use while driving falls under dangerous driving, which carries both a fine and the possibility of imprisonment.
Observe speed limits and signals. Delhi runs extensive camera enforcement, so a violation with no officer present still produces a challan.
Give way to emergency vehicles. Failing to make room for an ambulance or fire engine carries Rs. 10,000, among the highest routine penalties in the schedule.
PUC and pollution challan in Delhi
A pollution challan in Delhi carries Rs. 10,000 and is processed through the courts rather than paid on the spot, which makes it the most expensive document lapse a driver can have.
A Pollution Under Control certificate confirms that your vehicle's emissions fall within permitted limits. It is required under Section 190(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act, with the issuing rules set out in Rule 115(7) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
Validity. A new vehicle is generally exempt for the first year. After that, petrol and CNG vehicles are typically certified for a year and diesel vehicles for six months, though the period is printed on the certificate itself and is the figure to go by.
How a PUC challan in Delhi is issued. At a checkpoint, during a special enforcement drive or through automated systems that flag vehicles with no valid certificate on record. Delhi Traffic Police run periodic drives concentrated at major intersections.
Enforcement scale. Delhi Traffic Police issued more than 2.78 lakh PUC challans between January and October 2024, up from 2.32 lakh across the same period in 2023. More than 47,000 came from a single October drive.
How to check your PUC status. Look it up on the Parivahan portal or in the mParivahan app using your registration number. Both show the expiry date, which is the detail worth setting a reminder against.
A PUC challan in Delhi is avoidable in a way most violations are not. The test takes minutes and costs very little and the expiry date is printed on the certificate.
Kabir's certificate had lapsed by under a fortnight, which made no difference to the penalty. A PUC is either valid on the day or it is not.
How to check and pay your Delhi traffic challan online
Delhi challans can be checked on the national e-challan service or through the Delhi Traffic Police site, using your vehicle number alone.
Open the Parivahan e-challan service .
Search by challan number, vehicle registration number or driving licence number.
Enter the captcha, then verify with the OTP sent to the mobile number registered against the vehicle.
Review each challan, including the offence, date, location and any photographic evidence.
Pay by UPI, card or net banking and save the receipt.
Offline, you can pay at a traffic police station or in cash to an officer using a handheld e-challan machine at the time of the stop.
Two things are worth knowing about timing. Unpaid challans are commonly referred onward to the virtual court system after around 60 days, at which point they stop being payable on the traffic portal.
Pending challans can also hold up registration renewal, licence renewal and transfer of ownership.
If a challan shows no payable amount, it is likely a court matter. Drink driving and PUC violations both fall into that category in Delhi.
Conclusion
Four documents prevent most Delhi challans, licence, registration, insurance and a current PUC certificate. Three of them last years. The PUC is the one that quietly expires and it carries the largest penalty of the four.
Check your challan status on the Parivahan portal periodically rather than waiting for an SMS and pay anything outstanding while it is still with the traffic police.
For Kabir, a calendar reminder set against the expiry date printed on the certificate would have been the whole fix.
Valid third-party insurance is mandatory under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and driving without it carries Rs. 2,000 on a first offence. Zurich Kotak General Insurance Company (India) Limited offers comprehensive, third-party and standalone own damage cover for cars and two-wheelers.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the fine for driving without a PUC certificate in Delhi?
Rs. 10,000 under Section 190(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act. Delhi Traffic Police process PUC challans through the courts rather than as a payable e-challan.
How do I check a pollution challan in Delhi?
Enter your vehicle registration number on the Parivahan e-challan service. The same portal shows your PUC validity, so you can confirm the certificate status at the same time.
What is the helmet fine in Delhi?
Rs. 1,000 and it applies to the pillion rider as well as the rider. A three-month disqualification from holding a driving licence can be imposed alongside it.
What are the Delhi motor vehicle rules on documents?
You must carry a valid driving licence, registration certificate, insurance and PUC certificate. Digital copies in DigiLocker or mParivahan are accepted in place of physical documents.
How long is a PUC certificate valid in Delhi?
A new vehicle is generally exempt for the first year. After that, petrol and CNG vehicles are typically certified for a year and diesel for six months. The expiry date printed on the certificate is what applies.
Why can I not pay my Delhi challan online?
Either the offence is not compoundable and has to be decided by a court or the challan has already been referred to the virtual court system. Drink driving and PUC challans are commonly court matters in Delhi.
What happens if I ignore a Delhi traffic challan?
It does not lapse. Unpaid challans are referred onward to the courts and can block registration renewal, licence renewal and ownership transfer until cleared.
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