Pune court's unique punishment: Drunk driver to distribute flyers

A Pune court has ordered a 28-year-old man convicted of drunk driving to print and distribute 1,000 flyers on road safety as community service. He must also pay a ₹10,000 fine or face 10 days in jail. The order was passed under the new BNSS.

In an order aimed at promoting road safety, a Magistrate Court in Pune has directed a 28-year-old man convicted of drunk driving to print and distribute 1,000 awareness flyers highlighting the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The order, passed by a court that handles cases under the Motor Vehicles Act, comes in connection with an incident registered by the Hinjawadi Traffic Police under the Pimpri Chinchwad Police on July 22, 2025. The accused was caught driving in an inebriated condition and was booked under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, which pertains to driving by a drunken person.

A Novel Sentence

Citing Section 23 of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, the court awarded the convict community service, empowering it to impose work beneficial to public welfare without any remuneration.

"In addition to a fine of ₹10,000, the court directed the driver to print 1,000 flyers denoting the risks of drunk driving and distribute them personally at traffic signals while informing people about the relevant law. The driver will serve a simple imprisonment of 10 days if he fails to pay the fine," said Vivek Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Pimpri Chinchwad.

According to police officials, the convict has been asked to complete the flyer distribution within five days, and the local traffic department has been instructed to submit a compliance report to the court.

Crackdown on Drunk Driving

The Pimpri Chinchwad Police has been conducting special drives to curb drunk driving incidents across the city. "Till September 2025, a total of 2,984 riders and drivers have been booked for driving in an inebriated condition, and prosecutions have been initiated against them. These drives will continue in the coming days to reduce accidents caused by such violations," Patil added. (ANI)

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