Now, drunk drivers can lose licence in Delhi

Driving under the influence of alcohol can now cost you your licence. The Delhi High Court on Wednesday accepted the city transport department's new guidelines to deal with the menace of drunk driving, among which is the provision of cancelling the offender's driving licence. The stage is now set for the guidelines to be notified within four weeks.

The new rules arm the Delhi Police with the right to confiscate the licence of a driver found to have consumed alcohol beyond the permissible limit. In such cases, a memo would be issued to the driver who would then have to make a representation before the transport department. The department would decide whether the offender's licence should be suspended or cancelled.

The new guidelines come in the wake of the authorities intensifying their drive against drunken driving ahead of the Commonwealth Games next year. The rules were referred to a division bench of Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice S Muralidhar with the request to treat it as a PIL. The bench asked the government to notify the guidelines within four weeks.

The court was also informed that the Delhi government's new excise bill includes a provision for a fine of up to Rs 50,000 for those caught drinking alcohol in public ^ on the roadside, inside cars or outside eateries. Such offenders also face imprisonment without bail. The new excise bill, which has been approved by the union home ministry, will be presented in the winter session of the Delhi Assembly.

The new rules on drunken driving also require pubs and restaurants to display the legal penalties regarding drunk driving. The guidelines include frequent random police checks at crucial points in the city. The court also agreed with the suggestion that a strict vigil at bars and a special drive during the festival season would go a long way in curbing the menace.

Earlier, the transport department had informed the court that it had issued notices to 762 errant vehicle owners in a single month. These owners face a ban for a limited time from holding a license or driving any vehicle. The affidavit said the cops will rely on section 19 (1) (f) of Motor Vehicles Act that allows disqualification of a person from holding or obtaining a driving license for a fixed time period. In extreme cases, the licence might even be revoked.

Advocate Anup J Bhambani, amicus curiae in the matter, submitted before the bench that disqualification of driving licences would be a real, everyday deterrent for those who drink and drive.

While the court agreed with most suggestions given by Bhambani, it was not enthusiastic about the suggestion that managers of restaurants and bars should provide substitute drivers to their customers.

It also rejected the suggestion that customers should leave their keys with the restaurant's drivers and that the restaurant should ensure that its clients are allowed to take to the wheel only when they are in a state to drive.