Bengaluru Traffic Police mull invoking Juvenile Justice Act against drunk school bus drivers

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) are considering bringing school bus drivers under the ambit of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, if they are found driving under the influence of alcohol.

During a city-wide drive against drunk driving on Tuesday, 23 school bus drivers out of 3,016 tested positive for alcohol, marking the highest number of school drivers booked for drunk driving in the city in a single day.

Drivers who tested positive were booked under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, and their driving licences were sent to the respective regional transport offices for suspension.

Also, 11 vehicles found operating without a fitness certificate had been impounded and handed over to the RTOs for necessary action.

The onus is also on school management and parents to hold schools accountable and question them about the measures they are taking to ensure the safety of their children, said MN Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

"We want to act strongly against such drivers, so we are considering whether they can be prosecuted under the JJ Act and are taking legal advice on this," he told DH.