Several posts (here, here) on social media are going viral, claiming that a nationwide National Lok Adalat on 13 December 2025 will offer motorists a major opportunity to settle pending traffic challans with waivers ranging from 50% to 100%, depending on the state. The states said to be included are Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan and West Bengal. Multiple well-known news websites and media houses have also reported the same (here, here). Through this article, let us fact-check the claim made in these posts.
Claim: A nationwide National Lok Adalat scheduled for 13 December 2025 will offer major discounts on pending traffic challans.
Fact: The National Lok Adalat scheduled for 13 December 2025 is not offering nationwide major discounts on pending traffic challans. Lok Adalats are being held in several states across the country on 13 December 2025. However, in Telangana, the Lok Adalat has been rescheduled to 21 December 2025 due to the Local Bodies Elections. The Telangana State Legal Services Authority (TSLSA) has clarified to us (Factly) that there will be no settlement of traffic challans in the upcoming Lok Adalat in Telangana in December 2025. The Telangana Police has also confirmed to us (Factly) that they are not providing any concession for clearing pending traffic challans in the December 2025 Lok Adalats. In the past, many states and traffic police departments across the country have conducted Lok Adalats specifically for the settlement of traffic challans and have offered concessions to help clear pending traffic fines. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), along with other Legal Services Institutions, conducts Lok Adalats. A Lok Adalat is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism that serves as a forum where disputes or cases pending in a court of law, or at the pre-litigation stage, are settled or amicably compromised. Lok Adalats have been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. Under this Act, the award (decision) made by Lok Adalats is deemed to be a decree of a civil court and is final and binding on all parties. No appeal against such an award lies before any court of law. If the parties are not satisfied with the award of a Lok Adalat, although there is no provision for an appeal, they are free to initiate litigation by approaching the court of appropriate jurisdiction by filing a case following the required legal procedure, in exercise of their right to litigate. More information regarding Lok Adalats can be found here.
Lok Adalats are being held in several states across the country on 13 December 2025 (here, here, and here). These Lok Adalats provide an opportunity to resolve pending civil and criminal matters, cheque bounce cases, motor vehicle accident claims, family disputes and more, through conciliation. However, the Telangana State Legal Services Authority (TSLSA) has rescheduled the Lok Adalat in Telangana to 21 December 2025 due to the Local Body Election Code currently in force in the state.
The National Lok Adalat scheduled for 13 December 2025 is not offering nationwide major discounts on pending traffic challans.
When we contacted the Telangana State Legal Services Authority (TSLSA) to verify whether the Lok Adalats scheduled in December 2025 in Telangana would offer discounts on pending traffic challans, TSLSA officials informed us (Factly) that although traffic challan settlements were taken up in the past, there will be no settlement of traffic challans in the upcoming Lok Adalat in Telangana in December 2025.
Speaking to us, the Telangana Police also confirmed (to Factly) that they are not offering any concession for clearing pending traffic challans in the December 2025 Lok Adalats.
In the past, many states (here, here) and traffic police departments across the country have conducted Lok Adalats specifically for the settlement of traffic challans and have offered concessions to help clear pending traffic fines. For instance, in 2016 and 2017, the Hyderabad Traffic Police organised Lok Adalats and provided a 50% discount on pending challans, and on 13 September 2025, the Delhi Traffic Police also offered discounts to settle pending challans through the National Lok Adalat.
We have also contacted the traffic police wings of various states to verify whether they are offering discounts on pending traffic challans in the upcoming Lok Adalats in December 2025. We will update the article once we receive their responses.
To sum it up, the claim that the National Lok Adalat on 13 December 2025 is offering nationwide major discounts on pending traffic challans is incorrect.
