Court makes man stand entire day

Drunk driving

A man, who was awarded seven days’ jail term by a magistrate for driving a vehicle in an inebriated state, has been let off by a Delhi Sessions Court — but after making him stand till the rising of the court. The court sat for the entire day.

The Sessions Court refused to allow Vijay Singh to go scot free as he was found driving under the influence of alcohol and without insurance certificate. But it modified the jail term awarded to him by the magistrate.

“To my mind, in such circumstances, Singh is not entitled for a lenient view as he was driving under the influence of liquor and was not having vehicle insurance. His actions posed a great danger to other vehicles,” said Additional Sessions Judge Virender Kumar Goyal.

“However, considering the submissions of Singh and being a first-time offender, the sentence of seven days’ imprisonment is reduced. He must stand till the rising of the court. The order of the trial court is modified accordingly,” said Justice Goyal.

The court, while modifying the jail term, said Singh was a heart patient and had undergone a surgery. He was also the sole breadwinner of his family. The court upheld the magistrate’s order of suspending his driving licence for six months and a fine of Rs 1,000.

“There is no reason to interfere with the order of the trial court, by which Singh has been disqualified for holding driving licence for six months,” said the judge. Police said Singh was found driving a vehicle in an inebriated condition last year and was also fined for not having the vehicle’s insurance certificate.