PATNA, May 1 -- The Bihar government on Thursday issued a gazette notification for a one-time settlement scheme offering up to 50% relief on pending traffic e-challans for select offences, in compliance with directions of the Patna high court to enable their disposal through the National Lok Adalat. The "Traffic Challan One-Time Settlement Scheme, 2026", approved by the state cabinet a day earlier, seeks to ease the burden of long-pending violations, expedite case disposal and boost revenue collection. The scheme will come into effect from May 9 - the day of the next National Lok Adalat - and remain operational through the financial year 2026-27. Under the scheme, vehicle owners can settle pending e-challans for select offences - including not wearing helmets or seat belts, driving without insurance and similar violations - by paying up to 50% of the prescribed penalty under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. However, not all traffic violations are covered under the amnesty scheme. Penalties for several violations will remain unchanged as per the transport department's earlier notification (No. 6506) dated August 18, 2023. These include using a handheld mobile phone while driving, which will continue to attract a Rs.5,000 fine. Other offences under Section 184 - such as crossing the stop line at a red signal, jumping a red light, wrong-side driving and driving in a manner dangerous to the public - will also continue to draw penalties ranging between Rs.1,000 and Rs.5,000, depending on the vehicle category (two-wheeler, three-wheeler, small four-wheeler, medium passenger car or heavy vehicle). Notably, e-challan cases pending for more than 90 days will be taken up for disposal through the National Lok Adalat, enabling faster resolution of a substantial backlog. The notification follows an April 20 directive from the high court, where a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo and Justice Harish Kumar asked the transport department to issue a notification placing such cases before the next Lok Adalat scheduled for May 9. The court had flagged the pendency of around 2.78 lakh traffic e-challan cases across the state and called for a streamlined resolution mechanism. The bench had also directed the department to operationalise a concessional framework, similar to those in other states like Odisha, Gujarat and New Delhi, allowing compounding of select offences at reduced rates under the Motor Vehicles Act. The court's intervention came during the hearing of a writ petition highlighting procedural hurdles in disposing of traffic challan cases through Lok Adalats. It noted that the absence of a reduced-penalty framework had adversely impacted disposal rates in previous sittings. Officials said the scheme is expected to provide financial relief to lakhs of motorists while clearing a significant backlog of cases. It may also ease administrative bottlenecks linked to pending challans, which often delay vehicle-related services such as renewal of registration certificates for older vehicles. The transport department expects the concessional window to encourage voluntary compliance, improve adherence to traffic rules and enhance overall enforcement efficiency....