Shimla: Mounting accidents caused by drunken driving has forced the government to move an amendment making the existing law more stringent by proposing life sentence as the penal action for offenders.
Chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on Thursday tabled the – Criminal Law (Himachal Pradesh Amendment) Bill of 201, in the Vidhan Sabha proposing to amend section 304-AA of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and include private vehicles along with public one under the provision.
The section provided for life imprisonment or imprisonment for 7 years and fine for causing death or injury by driving a public service vehicle in a state of intoxication.
The chief minister said that this provision under section 304-AA was against the basic principal of equality enshrined in the constitution.
“In order to remove the discrepancy, it has decided to amend section 304-AA, in its application in the state, and to substitute the expression ‘a public service vehicle’ with the words ‘any vehicle’,†he said.
The bill is to taken up for discussion on Friday, which happens to be the last of the budget session.
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In a career spanning over two decades through all formats of journalism in Electronic, Print and Online Media, he brings with him enough experience to steer this platform. He lives in Shimla.
