Kerala Motor Vehicles Department addresses software issue affecting fine payments and vehicle bans

Thiruvananthapuram: Despite the traffic fine being paid for violation, the case was forwarded to court demanding payment again due to a software error. The fine amount was doubled due to a coordination failure between the 'e-challan' software that receives fine payments, the court's 'Virtual Court', and the Motor Vehicles Department's 'VAHAN' software.

The disappearance of the paid amount had caused concern after a cyber fraud incident involving the 'VAHAN' software came to light. Kerala State Transport Commissioner Nagaraju Chakkilam said that the paid amount would be retrieved and will not be lost.

Fines imposed by the police, Motor Vehicles Department and AI cameras are transferred to the court if not paid online within the specified time. The reason for the repeated demand for payment was that the 'Virtual Court' software had not received the information regarding the original payment. 'VAHAN' also denied service to the vehicles as the case had not been settled.

The Motor Vehicles Department has decided to withdraw the service ban for those who present proof of fine payment, given the clear technical fault. Vehicle owners were confused by the fact that the ban remained in place even after the fine had been paid.

Most transport vehicles settle fine arrears before renewing their fitness and permit. The fitness test for many vehicles was delayed as the service ban remained despite payment. The technical glitch was found during an investigation conducted by the Motor Vehicles Department following a report in Mathrubhumi.