New Delhi:
A 29-year-old man, sentenced to seven days in jail for driving in a drunken state, has been spared imprisonment by a Delhi court on the condition that he will assist police at busy traffic signals and serve at a temple.
Additional Sessions Judge SC Rajan spared Inderpuri resident Suresh Kumar of the jail term and assigned him civic jobs, saying "it would meet the ends of justice if he is given an opportunity to mend himself and learn norms of civic society."
The court had asked him to report to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (Traffic), South West Delhi, in morning for three days for assisting police at busy traffic signals.
"The DCP will depute him to assist the traffic police officials on duty at any busy traffic red light under his
jurisdiction in managing or diverting traffic from 10 am to 5 pm for three days," the court said, while modifying seven days sentence awarded to Suresh by a Magisterial Court.
Ordering Suresh to serve at a Sai Baba temple once a week for a month, the Court said that he has no criminal history and is a young boy who is starting his career.
Suresh had come to the sessions court seeking leniency after a magisterial court on April 20 sentenced him to seven days in jail with a fine of Rs 1000 for driving his motorcycle under influence of liquor near PVR Naraina.
Suresh, however, had been released on bail till filing of his appeal against the Magisterial Court order.
Seeking leniency, Suresh's counsel said that the Magisterial Court had not considered the judgments of the High Court, wherein jail terms for drunken driving have been modified to an order for assisting traffic police or cleaning temples or such other works.
The Court, however, upheld the magistrate's decision of disqualifying him from holding driving licence for six months, saying that the order is maintained just to keep Suresh away from repeating such an act in future.