Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court declared on Friday that the police do not have the authority to seize vehicles in drunk driving cases.
Judge K. Lakshman accepted a series of orders by dismissing 40 petitions regarding drunk driving. The court stated that if a drunk person is found driving the vehicle, the police will instruct an accompanying person, with a valid driving license, to take over the steering wheel. If the person is alone, the police have been instructed to inform a relative of the offender and have the latter driven.
The police have the authority to temporarily take possession of the vehicle if the above rules cannot be implemented. According to the court, the police must release the parked vehicle and hand it over to the owner or any other person after the submission of the registration certificate of the vehicle.
According to a report by Telangana Today, regarding the punishment to be imposed on drunk driving offenders, the police are supposed to lodge a charge sheet with the magistrate within three days. Judge Lakshman said that any violation of the above provisions would be considered contempt and the necessary procedure would be initiated. He further explained that the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act do not allow the seizure of vehicles in drunk driving cases.
Source: The Siasat Daily