Roads highly unsafe due to rising drunk driving cases: Court

Increasing accidents due to drunk driving have made roads highly unsafe for other users, a Delhi court has said while refusing to show leniency in a drunk driving case.
Special Judge Ravinder Dudeja refused to interfere with a trial court order sentencing a man for five days in jail for drunk driving.
"No person driving a vehicle can put to imperil the life and safety of other users of the road. By driving the vehicle under the influence of alcohol, appellant (convict) not only puts himself but the other users of the road at risk...
"The accidents due to drunken driving are on the increase due to which walking on the road or driving on the road is highly unsafe. The offenders involved in drunken driving, therefore, should not be let off with a mild sentence," the special court said.

It added that exemplary punishment should be imposed on such offenders which should act as a lesson for other road users.
The trial court had passed the order after east Delhi resident Manikant Jha had pleaded guilty to accusations made by the prosecution.
It had also imposed a fine of Rs 5,600 which was paid by the convict.
According to the prosecution, Jha was caught driving a vehicle without any valid driving licence and that too with alcohol level in his blood measuring 169.4 mg/per 100 ml against the permissible limit of 30 mg/per 100 ml.