Challans of 69 drivers making way for ambulances, VVIPs cancelled

Don’t be afraid of being challaned for jumping traffic signals while making way for ambulances or VVIP cavalcades. Sachin Yadav, Chief Judicial Magistrate, Chandigarh, has cancelled 69 such challans on a request made by the Chandigarh Traffic Police.

The police approached the court for the cancellation of the challans after the department concerned found that the violators jumped the signal for genuine reasons like giving way to ambulances or VVIP cavalcades.

In the request made to the court for issuing order for cancellation/ withdrawal of these traffic challans, the Inspector-in-Charge of Police Command and Control Centre (PCCC), Sector 17, said violations captured by CCTV cameras are processed by the Local Processing Unit and forwarded to the ITMS e-Challan Smart City System. The operators observe videos or images, match the details of the vehicles and after verification, put up the challans on the NIC-e Challan Portal. After approval, an auto-generated SMS notice is sent on the registered mobile number of the violator along with a payment link.

He said the Virtual Court is in existence since September 2023 and e-challans, except for non-compoundable offences, are sent to the Virtual Court after 30 days from the date of issuance.

Various requests have been received by the PCCC to cancel challans due to certain reasons and some were found genuine. As the challans are already with the court, they are unable to consider these requests.

Such challans are required to be cancelled on various grounds such as the violator was giving way to an ambulance or a VIP cavalcade, the violation was committed on the direction of police officials, the vehicle was stolen or the violator had some medical issues. In view of all these considerations, the order for the cancellation/ withdrawal of such challans be issued, he said.

The court said it was clear that an inquiry had been conducted by the Inspector, PCCC, Traffic Department, and the challans mentioned were found to be wrongly issued. This is a good initiative taken by the Traffic Department and they should keep checking the traffic challans issued by them in a routine manner, so that no wrong challan is issued, said the court.

In such circumstances, the present application is allowed and direction is issued to the official concerned to do the needful.

Munish Dewan, advocate, hailed the initiative. He said motorists are usually in a dilemma when they find themselves in such a situation. But with the initiative of the police and the court’s order, they will have no issue giving way to ambulances at traffic signals.