New Delhi:
A Gurugram man was allegedly fined Rs 1,000 by the police for being drunk inside his own car, despite not being behind the wheel. He shared the incident in a Reddit post titled, “Drinking and driving in Gurgaon…my car got pulled over by the cops last night.”
According to his account, his car was stopped by the police while he was returning from a party. He admitted to being “completely sozzled” but clarified that his “personal driver/chauffeur” was the one operating the vehicle. He further said that the driver was checked multiple times and was found to be completely sober, as he was on duty.
Despite no alcohol being found in the car and the driver being fit to drive, the police still fined the man Rs 1,000 simply for being intoxicated as a passenger, he claimed.
“They asked me if I had been drinking which was evidently visible and true. They checked the car for any open alcohol (none) as I was returning from a party. They made me shell out 1K, for being drunk,” he wrote.
The man humorously ended his post by admitting, “Sorry if it isn’t making sense, I have a splitting headache just now.”
Drinking and driving in Gurgaon…my car got pulled over by the cops last night
byu/Professional-Win-532 ingurgaon
The post quickly went viral.
One Redditor commented, “What? How could they make you pay? How are people supposed to go back from bars then?” To this, the original poster replied, “I am confused as f**k, it seems like moral policing. They accused me of being drunk.”
Another user sarcastically wrote, “Guess that was-‘how dare you have a sensible and uneventful fun night in Gurgaon, tax.'”
A different commenter shared their own experience, saying, “I was drinking a little and was pulled over in Gurgaon. I accepted I was drinking, and said I’ve no money. They took a picture of my number plate and phone screen and let me go. Got no challan online. Who pays for drinking while sitting in the backseat? The cops scammed you.”
Another user wrote, “They extorted you, my man! And thank you for being responsible!”
According to Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a punishable offence. The penalties include up to 6 months of imprisonment or a fine of Rs 10,000, or both, for the first offence. For a second or subsequent offence, the punishment increases to up to 2 years of imprisonment or a fine of Rs 10,000, or both. The law specifically applies to drivers.