Drunk driving isn`t tolerated even if accident is minor, says Supreme Court

Supreme Court bench said that no one should be permitted to drive a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

The Supreme Court refused leniency to a driver, who had been dismissed for driving under the influence of alcohol. The Court said that there was no major accident and this couldn't serve as a reason to show leniency in such cases. 

The Supreme Court ruled during a division bench session, presided over by Justices MR Shah and BV Nagarathna, that driving while impaired is both misconduct and an offense. The act of driving a motor vehicle while intoxicated is prohibited.

The court stated, "It is extremely serious to drive a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and play with the lives of others.Merely because there was no major loss and it was a minor accident cannot be a ground to show leniency. It was sheer luck that the accident was not a fatal accident. It could have been a fatal accident.”

In an earlier case, a trucker named Brijesh Chandra Dwivedi (since deceased) from the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) who hit a jeep while taking personnel to Allahabad for Kumbh Mela duty in February 2000. It was discovered that he was drunk while driving the truck.

Afterward, an internal investigation by the department resulted in the man's dismissal from service. The employee filed a writ petition before the Allahabad High Court, which dismissed his case. As a result, he approached the Supreme Court. 

In his ruling on the appeal, Justice Shah determined the following: “When the employee was driving a truck carrying the P.A.C. personnel who were travelling in the truck were in the hands of the driver. Therefore, it can be said that he played with the lives of those P.A.C. personnel, who were on duty and travelling from Fatehpur to Allahabad on Kumbh Mela duty.”

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