Hyderabad: Minors to be charged if caught driving

Hyderabad: The names of minors who are caught driving will now be included in the chargesheets filed by the traffic police. The minors will be prosecuted in a Juvenile Court, while their parents will be prosecuted in a Magistrate Court.

The traffic police will enclose the Aadhaar details of the driver and owner of the vehicle along with the charge sheet so that the judge is informed of their violations and traffic discipline history. The judge will decide whether to send the minor to a juvenile home or ask him or her to pay a fine. Meanwhile, the minor’s parents will have to appear before a Magistrate and may be sent to judicial remand.

This month, in a first-of-its-kind judgement, a 14-year-old was remanded in a juvenile home for one day. A Magistrate Court sent 10 parents to prison for a day, because they had let their minor children drive. 

The Court also imposed a penalty of Rs 500 on each of the parents under Section 180 of the Motor Vehicle Act.

A.V. Ranganath, the Deputy Commissioner of Police — Traffic (South Zone), said, “If minors are caught driving, their parents’ names are mentioned in the chargesheet filed by the traffic police. Such minors are produced before a Juvenile Court, and their parents are produced before a Magistrate. While the parents or vehicle owners are sent to judicial remand, the minors are sent to juvenile home. Cops catch about 30 minor drivers in the age group of 14 to 17 years every month in Hyderabad.”

The Hyderabad Traffic police are launching special drives at a number of location in the city to keep a check on minors driving.

Cops insist on aadhaar details during checks 

The traffic police are recording the Aadhaar details of all those who are caught driving under the influence of alcohol in order to be able to check the driver’s traffic history for any other violations. The driver’s entire track record is produced in court at the time of prosecution, according to the traffic police.

Officers of the Law and Order division of the police are also recording the Aadhaar details of those named as the accused in cases, in order to be able to produce their track record in court along with the charge sheet. This allows the judge to study the accused’s history before sentencing him or her.

630 chargesheets for cases of drunk driving were filed by the Hyderabad Traffic Police between March 5 and 9.  42 persons were jailed for dangerous driving, using a cell phone while driving, driving without a license, or the non-payment of challans.

According to the Hyderabad Traffic Police records, 20,411 cases of drunk driving were booked in 2017, and 4,015 violators faced imprisonment. The department collected '2.2 crore in the form of fines for drunk driving.