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Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has once again made it clear that police cannot automatically seize or detain a vehicle just because the driver is found drunk.
In an order issued on Thursday, April 9, the court explained that while a person under the influence of alcohol should not be allowed to continue driving, that alone is not enough reason for police to take away the vehicle.
The court referred to earlier guidelines issued in 2021, which laid down how such situations should be handled. According to these guidelines, if a driver is drunk but someone else in the vehicle is sober and has a valid driving licence, that person should be allowed to drive the vehicle away.
If no such person is present, the police can temporarily keep the vehicle in a safe place. However, they must inform a relative or friend of the driver so the vehicle can be handed over to someone responsible. The vehicle should not be held indefinitely.
The case came up when a vehicle owner approached the court after his Mahindra XUV500 was seized by the traffic police. The car had been driven by another individual who was allegedly drunk at the time.
The owner argued that the seizure was against earlier court rulings. On the other hand, the police said the driver had multiple drunk driving cases and claimed the owner was aware of his actions.
After hearing both sides, the High Court ruled that the issue had already been settled in earlier decisions. It reiterated that police can stop a drunk person from driving, but they do not have the authority to seize the vehicle solely on that basis.
The court then ordered that the case be resolved according to the previously issued guidelines and closed the matter.
This post was last modified on April 10, 2026 1:11 pm