KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the chief secretary, inspector general of police (IGP) and other respondents on a petition challenging the heavy traffic fines in the form of the recently inaugurated e-challan system in the metropolis.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro also put the advocate general on notice for Nov 25.

Petitioner Syed Johar Abbas Rizvi moved the SHC against the hefty financial penalties upon vehicles’ owners and cited the CS, IGP, DIG-Traffic and others as respondents.

He submitted that Sindh government has fixed Rs40,000 as the minimum salary for unskilled workers and if a worker was fined Rs5,000 for jumping traffic lights, the same amount will be 12.9 per cent of his total monthly salary.

Petitioner asks SHC to direct Sindh govt, police to impose reasonable and justified penalties over traffic violations

He claimed that the penalty for the same violation was only Rs200 in Lahore.

The petitioner also contended that the impugned e-challan system was put in place without provision of basic infrastructure as many roads of the city were in dilapidated condition or under construction while traffic signals in various parts of the city were also out of order and speed limits boards had also not been installed.

He maintained that around Rs12.5 million was collected within six hours after the enforcement of the e-challan system, but it was uncertain where these funds would be utilised and what would be the procedure as citizens have the right to know about utilisation of such funds/fines.

He argued that the e-challan system was only introduced in Karachi and asked as to why the same was not launched in other major cities of Sindh including Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana and Nawabshah.

The petitioner also submitted that imposition of heavy fines under the e-challan system in the city was against equity and justice, which needed to be reviewed by the authorities concerned and must be comparable and equable to other large cities of the country including Lahore.

He asked the SHC to direct the respondents to impose reasonable and justified penalties for traffic violations.

After a preliminary hearing, the bench in its order said, “Notice to the respondents as well as AB Sindh for 25.11.2025.”

An identical petition was also landed in the SHC last week against the impugned system seeking to declare the new system’s implementation without prior adequate road infrastructure and ownership-verification safeguards as illegal and unconstitutional.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2025