How to Check, Pay or Contest a Traffic E-Challan in Kerala
Check a Kerala traffic e-challan on the Parivahan portal by challan, vehicle or licence number. How to pay, contest a wrong one, and the AI camera fines.
To check a traffic e-challan in Kerala, go to echallan.parivahan.gov.in, choose Pay Challan and search by challan number, vehicle number or driving licence number; after an OTP check you can see every pending fine and pay it online. Kerala's Safe Kerala AI cameras, 726 of them installed when the system launched in 2023, feed fines into the same system: Rs 500 for riding without a helmet, Rs 2,000 for using a phone while driving, as reported at launch. If a challan is wrong, you can raise a grievance on the same portal.
- How can I check my AI camera fine in Kerala?
- How do I pay a Kerala e-challan?
- How much are the AI camera fines?
- How can I dispute a wrongly issued challan in Kerala?
- What happens if we don't pay challans in Kerala?
How can I check my AI camera fine in Kerala?
The Motor Vehicles Department does send an SMS and a postal notice, but the portal is quicker and it is the only place you see everything at once. The steps on echallan.parivahan.gov.in:
- Open Pay Challan and pick how to search: challan number, vehicle number or DL number.
- Fill in the captcha and press Get Detail.
- Confirm with an OTP, sent either to the mobile number registered on Vahan or through your Aadhaar or Virtual ID.
- Read the table: challan number, date, amount and status for each fine.
The portal is available in Malayalam. The OTP step is where many people get stuck: if the mobile number on your vehicle record is an old one, you will not receive it. Fixing that is worth doing anyway, and our guide to vehicle paperwork at Kochi RTOs covers the counter side of the process.
How do I pay a Kerala e-challan?
Online, on the same portal, straight from the results table. In Kerala you can also pay in person at an RT office. After paying, the portal lets you download a receipt, and a Check Pending Transaction link handles payments that went through on your bank's side but did not show up as paid. Keep the receipt until the challan status changes.
One warning the portal itself carries: fake challan websites and apps exist, and the genuine service says it never asks for your password, OTP or payment details by phone call, email, message or link. A WhatsApp message with a link to "pay your pending fine" is a scam until proven otherwise; type the address yourself. Our guide to what to do after cyber fraud covers the damage control if you have already clicked.
How much are the AI camera fines?
These are the amounts reported when Kerala's AI camera system started fining in 2023. Fines can be revised, so treat the portal's figure on your own challan as final.
| Offence | Fine (as reported, 2023) |
|---|---|
| No helmet | Rs 500 |
| No seatbelt | Rs 500 |
| Using a mobile phone while driving | Rs 2,000 |
| Jumping a red light | Rs 1,000 |
| More than two people on a two-wheeler | Rs 1,000 |
| Speeding | Rs 1,500 |
| Dangerous parking | Rs 250 |
Children aged four and above must wear a helmet too. Honestly, the phone fine is the one to fear, and it is also the easiest to avoid.
How can I dispute a wrongly issued challan in Kerala?
Use the Grievance Entry Form on the e-challan portal: enter the challan number, verify with an OTP, choose the issue (for example an incorrect challan, or a vehicle that is not yours), describe it and upload a photo if you have one. When the AI cameras launched, the MVD's process also allowed an appeal to the RTO Enforcement wing of the district where the violation was recorded, where you could view the camera images in the control room and the officer could cancel a wrong fine on the spot. For phone help, the MVD's fine remittance page lists a grievance line, 9188961100, staffed from 10.15 am to 5 pm, with a lunch break from 1.15 pm to 2 pm.
The national rules have also moved. Amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules notified in January 2026 give 45 days from the challan to pay or contest it online, treat an ignored challan as accepted, and require a deposit of 50% of the fine before you can take a rejected grievance to court. How Kerala applies those timelines is worth confirming with the MVD, but the practical lesson is the same everywhere: contest early, not at the deadline.
What happens if we don't pay challans in Kerala?
An unpaid challan does not disappear. It can be forwarded to the Virtual Court, which lists Kerala's Transport and Police departments among its departments, and once it is there you pay it either on the e-challan portal or at the Virtual Court, not both. Under the national amendments, five or more offences in a year can lead to your licence being disqualified. If you are renewing or upgrading a licence, see our Kochi driving licence guide, and clear your challans first. More practical guides live in Guides.
Written By
Haila Kochi Editorial Team
Part of the Haila Kochi editorial team, covering the food, business, lifestyle, and people that make Kochi what it is.
