Drunken Drive: Eight New year revellers out of 540 booked, jailed
By Coreena Suares Published on 17 Jan 2020 11:01 AM GMT
Highlights
- Many with high Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) levels failed to appear before the court, resulting in the delay
- The Cyberabad traffic officials, on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1, booked 888 in its jurisdiction
Hyderabad: Eight New Year party revellers from the 540 booked for Drunken Drive (DD) by Cyberabad traffic police were convicted by a local court hearing DD cases. The remaining persons have been bailed out on payment of fine for the offences.
The Cyberabad traffic officials, on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1, booked 888 in its jurisdiction. The highest number was booked in Madhapur area. However, 504 of those cases were disposed off as on January 17. Many with high Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) levels failed to appear before the court, resulting in the delay, officials said.
Notably, the number of DD convictions reported in 2019 was a whopping 409. Perhaps the only year where a large number were sent behind bars on a single day, remains January 5. In comparison, 2020 has seen a significant drop in jail sentences.
The Kukatpally court that hears DD cases booked by four traffic police stations, witnessed an unprecedented rush on January 3. Of the 105 cases placed before the magistrate, two received jail terms. The convicted were caught at Gachibowli and Balanagar, respectively.
A source told NewsMeter, “Persons who were caught with above 500 BAC level were sentenced as were those caught for the second time. All the remaining persons were left-off with fines ranging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 25,000. Unlike the previous year, hundreds got away by paying the fine. Meanwhile, as many as 344 cases are pending as the offenders failed to appear before the court fearing jail. The maximum period given to a person booked in DD to appear before the court is 60 days.”
As many as 3,148 Drunken Drive cases were booked on New Year eve across Telangana State. Among those caught were one female, nine senior citizens and nine minors. The maximum offences were reported in the twin cities with 951 cases followed by Cyberabad (888) and Rachakonda (281).
Drunk Drive cased booked by Cyberabad during December 31-January 1
1.Booked cases – 888
2.Jail (convicted) - 8
3. Imposed fine-496
4.Disposal – 504
5. Highest imprisonment sentenced: 10 days
