Karnataka reopens 50% discount on old traffic fines, Nov 21 to Dec 11

What changes and from when

Karnataka motorists with unpaid traffic challans or old Regional Transport Office cases get another chance to clear them cheap. The state government has approved a 50 per cent discount on pending fines for a window running from November 21 to December 11, 2026.

The concession covers two buckets of dues: challans recorded in the Karnataka Police Department's traffic e-challan system, and cases registered separately by the Transport Department, both going back to 1991 and running up to 2025. Anyone with an old helmet, seatbelt, signal or parking challan sitting unpaid in that stretch qualifies to settle it at half price during the window, once the Transport Department issues its formal implementation order.

How the state cleared it

The push came from the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, which wrote to the government on October 6, 2026 asking for the concession, framing it as a way to clear a backlog of minor cases clogging Lok Adalats and RTO counters. The Finance Department gave its concurrence on October 28. The Department of Law, Justice and Human Rights then communicated the approval on October 29, directing the Transport Department to issue the order that will actually open the window for the public.

A scheme Karnataka keeps repeating

This is not the state's first such amnesty this year. An earlier round ran from June 21 to July 10, 2026 under Order No. TD 27 TDO 2023 dated June 4, 2026. That window covered police e-challans issued before May 2026 and Transport Department fines from 1991 to 2022, and the government itself put the value of fines pending at the time at Rs 2,827 crore.

The November round widens the net by three more years of Transport Department cases, taking the cutoff from 2022 to 2025, while keeping the same 50 per cent discount and the same roughly three week window the state has used before.

What owners should do

Nothing can be paid yet. The scheme only takes legal effect once the Transport Department's order is issued, which is expected before November 21. Once it is, owners have used the Karnataka State Police app, the Bengaluru Traffic Police's ASTraM app, the Karnataka One and Bangalore One portals, or a visit to the nearest traffic police station or RTO, to check and clear old dues in past rounds. Vehicle owners should hold on to any payment receipt, since the discount applies only within the stated window and the full fine returns once it closes on December 11.

For anyone who has been ignoring an old challan notice, this is the moment to check Parivahan or the state police app for pending dues before the window and the cheaper rate both run out.

Sources

• Karnataka govt announces 50% discount on pending traffic fines from November 21 till 11 December 2026
• Bengaluru Traffic Challan Relief! Karnataka Govt Offers 50% Waivers on Pending Fines: Here's How To Avail
• Karnataka Traffic e-Challan Fine Discount: 2026 scheme details