Mumbai Police to file criminal cases for drunk driving, seize vehicles

Mumbai police has decided to register criminal cases against those indulging in drunk driving since such incidents have seen a sharp rise in the last couple of years, a senior official said on Thursday.

A notification to this effect was issued by Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Kumbhare, he said. While registering cases, the licence of the drunk driver will be impounded and his vehicle will be seized, the official added.  "Taking serious cognizance of rise in cases, the traffic wing of Mumbai Police has decided to file criminal cases against drunk drivers under section 125 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for act endangering life or personal safety of others apart from provisions of Motor Vehicles Act at the local police station," Kumbhare told PTI.  At present, Mumbai police carries out 'nakabandi' (on road checks) against drunk drivers and penalises them under section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, another official said, adding action was taken against 2562 persons in 2023 and 9642 in 2024, which is a rise of 269 per cent.  A total of 1356 drunken drivers who were penalized between January and March last year, while the figure jumped by 60 per cent to 2264 in the corresponding period in 2025, this official said.  "Every should drive by following norms and rules. Drunk drivers should not play with the lives of citizens. Drunk drivers will now face strict action.  It could lead to cancellation of licence, problems obtaining passports. They will also not be able to get police clearance for jobs," another official said. Orders have been issued to all traffic police personnel to start implementing this notification, the official said.