ORDER :

(G. GIRISH, J.)

“Drunken driving has become a menace to our society. Every day drunken driving results in accidents and several human lives are lost, pedestrians in many of our cities are not safe. Late night parties among urban elite have now become a way of life followed by drunken driving. Alcohol consumption impairs consciousness and vision and it becomes impossible to judge accurately how far away the objects are. When depth perception deteriorates, eye muscles lose their precision causing inability to focus on the objects. Further, in more unfavourable conditions like fog, mist, rain, etc., whether it is night or day, it can reduce the visibility of an object to the point of being below the limit of discernibility. In short, alcohol leads to loss of coordination, poor judgment, slowing down of reflexes and distortion of vision.”

[ State v. Sanjeev Nanda , (2012) 8 SCC 450 ]

2. The above observation of the Apex Court, though faded in the memory lanes of the past, often crops up as a reminder, or rather an eye-opener, whenever a mishap caused due to drunken driving comes up for consideration before a court of law in India. But unfortunately, the law enforcing agencies, in