If you are issued 5 or more challans (traffic violation notices) within one calendar year, your driving licence can be suspended under the new Central Motor Vehicles Third Amendment Rules, 2026. The count starts fresh from 1 January 2026, so only challans issued on or after that date are added up.
Short on time? Jump to the “Deadlines at a glance” table below and the step-by-step flow. The single most important number is 45 days: that is your window to pay or contest each challan.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) notified the Central Motor Vehicles Third Amendment Rules, 2026, which amend Rule 21 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. The trigger is simple. Five or more challans in a single calendar year can lead to disqualification, meaning suspension, of your driving licence.
Two points decide whether your licence is at risk. First, the counting clock. Only challans issued on or after 1 January 2026 are counted. Anything recorded in 2025 or earlier does not add to your tally. Second, the calendar year resets. The count runs from 1 January to 31 December, then starts again.
Challans are issued under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and tracked through the Government eChallan system on the Parivahan and VAHAN portals. The 2026 rules tighten how fast a challan must reach you and how long you have to act.
Here is the path a challan takes, and the points where you can stop it from counting against your licence.
If you contest a challan successfully, it should not weigh against you. That is why the 45-day response window matters: ignoring a notice is the fastest way to let it stand.
| Stage | Time limit | Who acts |
|---|---|---|
| Challan delivered by hand or physical means | Within 15 days of issuance | Authority |
| Challan delivered by authorised electronic means | Within 3 days of issuance | Authority |
| Pay or contest the challan | Within 45 days of issuance | You |
| Disqualification trigger | 5 or more challans in one calendar year | Counted from 1 January 2026 |
Pending challans do more than build your count. A vehicle with unpaid challans can be blacklisted on the Parivahan portal. A blacklist blocks key services tied to that vehicle.
One service stays open: you can still pay your road tax even when the vehicle is blacklisted. Everything else waits until the pending challans are cleared.
Road transport is implemented by the states, not only the Centre. Some states have signalled they will not adopt the central rule exactly as drafted. For example, Kerala's transport minister publicly said the central rules will not be implemented as they are. So the timing and the exact form of enforcement can differ in your state. Check your State Transport Department before assuming the 5-challan trigger is live where you drive.
Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak picked up 4 challans between January and June 2026 for minor violations. He paid 2 and forgot the others. In July a fifth challan arrived by SMS. Worried about his licence, he checked his eChallan history on Parivahan, found one of the older challans was wrongly tagged to his number, and contested it within the 45-day window with photographs. The disputed challan was set aside, dropping his verified tally below 5. He then paid the genuine pending ones before they could lead to blacklisting.
The lesson: read every challan, verify it is actually yours, and act inside 45 days.
The Right to Information Act 2005 is a practical tool when your challan record or licence status looks wrong. You can file an RTI application with your State Transport Department or Regional Transport Office (RTO) to get information that the portal does not show clearly.
What you can ask for:
A short application costs little and forces a written, accountable reply. If you get no response or an evasive one, you can escalate.
Sample RTI text you can adapt:
To: The Public Information Officer State Transport Department / RTO [name your district] Under the RTI Act 2005, please provide: 1. A list of all challans issued against driving licence no. ____ and vehicle no. ____ from 1 January 2026 to date, with issue dates. 2. The current status of the challan bearing reference no. ____ that I contested on [date]. 3. The criteria and records used to count challans for licence disqualification under the Central Motor Vehicles Third Amendment Rules, 2026. I enclose the application fee of Rs 10.
To draft this faster, use the AI RTI Drafter. To track your reply deadline, use the Timeline Tracker. If the reply is incomplete, run it through the PIO Reply Checker and, if needed, build an appeal with the First Appeal Builder.
For the full method of filing and escalating, read The RTI Playbook and the RTI Act 2005.
Five or more challans issued in a single calendar year can trigger suspension of your driving licence under the Central Motor Vehicles Third Amendment Rules, 2026. The count runs from 1 January to 31 December.
No. Only challans issued on or after 1 January 2026 are counted toward the 5-challan trigger. Violations recorded in 2025 or earlier do not add to your tally.
You have 45 days from the date the challan is issued. Within that window you can either accept and pay the amount, or contest it on the portal with documentary evidence.
A challan must be delivered to you within 15 days if sent by hand or other physical means, or within 3 days if sent by authorised electronic means.
A blacklist blocks change of address, transfer of ownership, change of vehicle class, permits, fitness certification and termination of hypothecation. You can still pay road tax while blacklisted.
Not automatically. States implement road transport, and some have said they will not adopt the central rule as drafted. Kerala's transport minister, for example, said it will not be implemented as it is. Check your State Transport Department.
Yes. File an RTI application with your State Transport Department or RTO for your challan history, the status of a contested challan, the disqualification criteria, or the basis of a blacklisting entry.
Contest it on the eChallan portal within the 45-day window and upload evidence such as photographs or documents. A challan set aside should not count toward your 5-challan tally.