The Delhi High Court today sought the Centre’s reply on a plea seeking online payment of traffic challans to achieve the aim of ‘Digital India’ initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar also issued notice to the Delhi Police.
The PIL also sought directions to all banks and Delhi traffic police to facilitate online payments of challans, through net-banking, credit or debit cards. “This exercise of people making the payment of challans through the said modes would only encourage their habit of using plastic cards, post demonetisation,” the plea filed by advocate Birender Sangwan said.
Taking note of the prayer made in the petition, the court sought replies of the authorities before the next date of hearing, November 27. The petitioner’s counsel Joginder Sukhija submitted in the court that the above mode of payment would help in maintaining the record of legal transactions between the offender and the government.
“It would save the manpower of the Delhi Police. It would save a lot of paper work and other legal formalities on which a lot of time and papers are wasted,” the plea said.
It further said that it would maintain transparency and more particularly the faith of general public in the administration of justice. The petition said that as per the reply obtained by him through RTIs from all the district courts in the city, it was revealed that more than 51,311 challans were pending till November 2016.
It said that with the passage of time total challans must have been increased. The plea said that when most of the challans provide for payment of money and does not attract any type of conviction, there ought to be no impediment or hindrance in adopting electronic means of payment which is simpler and convenient in comparison to the present mode of cash payment in courts.