JOIN USThe High Court on Wednesday asked the government what it was doing to curb the increasing cases of accidents due to drunken driving in the City.
Hearing a suo motu PIL on police reforms, a division bench comprising Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice B V Nagarathna questioned the government on the measures taken by the police department in averting cases of drunken driving, overspeeding and driving without licence.
The bench observed that every day people were dying of accidents, mainly by drunken drivers. It said that the traffic police should catch people driving drunk using breath analysers before they cause accidents. The bench questioned the powers vested with traffic constables and sub-inspectors and measures they can take to stop the offences.
The counsel representing the government submitted to the court that breath analysers were used by the traffic police during weekends and many cases had been registered. The bench asked why breathalysers were used only during weekends.
The government counsel said that the police keep records on drunken driving offenders. If they are caught for the third time with the same offence, the licence is seized. The bench said there were many drivers without licences and asked what the police was doing about them. The bench asked the government to submit an affidavit about drunken driving cases in the City in the next hearing on Monday.