Janjgir-Champa: With the aim of promoting road safety and raising public awareness, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Janjgir-Champa has handed down a unique sentence to a habitual drunk driver. The court ordered the accused to perform community service for 30 days by cleaning the Kotwali police station premises and raising awareness among the public at various city intersections about the dangers of drunk driving. Swadesh Kumar Yadav, a resident of Janjgir-Champa district, was caught by the traffic police driving under the influence of alcohol for the third time. Action had previously been taken against him twice under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act; in both instances, the court had imposed a fine of ₹10,000. Despite this, there was no improvement in his behavior.
Upon being caught driving while intoxicated for the third time, the traffic police registered a case against him under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act and submitted the charge sheet to the court. After hearing the case, the Chief Judicial Magistrate decided not to limit the punishment to a mere financial penalty but instead handed down a sentence intended to send a positive message to society. According to the court’s order, Swadesh Kumar Yadav must report to the Kotwali police station daily for 30 consecutive days to carry out cleaning work. Additionally, he is required to spread awareness about road safety at various city intersections by urging people not to drive under the influence of alcohol.
Currently, the accused is reporting to the Kotwali police station every morning to perform cleaning duties and is complying with the court’s directives. Meanwhile, under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Vijay Kumar Pandey, the district traffic police are continuously conducting vehicle inspection drives at major intersections across the city. During these drives, strict action is being taken against drunk drivers alongside enforcing the mandatory use of helmets. In such cases, legal proceedings are being initiated under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, and cases are being submitted to the court. This court verdict is not limited merely to punishing an accused individual; rather, it aims to foster a sense of responsibility towards road safety within society and to effectively curb dangerous practices such as drunk driving.
