Drunken driving: 41-yr-old man let off after apology

A Delhi court has let off a 41- year-old contractor, held guilty in a drunken driving case, after he apologised for his mistake and compensated the owner of the damaged vehicle.
Metropolitan Magistrate Jagminder Singh took a lenient view towards south-west Delhi resident Umesh Yadav in the case after noting that he was the only earning member in his family comprising aged parents, wife and three minor children.
"Keeping in view the social and economic background of the convict and reformative theory of punishment and in view of the fact that the convict apologised for his mistake and willingly compensated the owner of damaged vehicle/victim, a lenient view is taken against the accused.

"Therefore instead of sentencing him to any punishment, accused is hereby released after due admonition for the offence punishable under section 279 (rash driving on a public way) IPC and provision of the Motor Vehicle Act," the court said, directing the convict to deposit Rs 500 in DLSA as cost of litigation.
While convicting the man, the court noted that the eyewitnesses "clearly stated that the offending vehicle was being driven by accused Umesh Yadav".
"The witnesses correctly identified the accused. The mechanical inspection reports are also supporting the version of the eyewitnesses," it said.
According to the prosecution, on September 23, 2014, at 11.35 in the night, the accused was driving the car in a rash and negligent manner in a heavily inebriated condition and hit another vehicle.

The accused was working as a civil contractor in Delhi and NCR.