Supreme Court has ruled that road traffic offences can be prosecuted under the Motor Vehicles Act as well as the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The apex court also set aside a Gauhati High Court order to prosecute offenders of road accidents under motor vehicle act only.
The punishment for offenders of motor vehicle accidents under the IPC is stricter compared to the Motor Vehicles Act. A bench comprising Justices Indu Malhotra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said the sentence imposed by courts should be commensurate with the seriousness of the offence and should have a deterring effect on wrongdoers.
The bench said, the apex court has time and again emphasised the need to strictly punish those responsible for causing road accidents. With rapidly increasing motorisation, India is facing an increasing burden of road traffic injuries and fatalities, the court said.
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