Provide breathalysers to cops within 4 months: Bombay High Court to state

The Bombay High Court has directed the state to provide required breath analysers to policemen across all stations within four months. The government has also been asked to set guidelines to be followed by policemen in drunken driving cases, in order to ensure that proper procedure is followed while collecting and analysing blood samples.

A division bench of justices Abhay Oka and C V Bhadang directed the government to provide necessary funds for maintenance and recalibration of existing analysers. The court passed the order while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) after actor Salman Khan was acquitted of all charges in the 2002 hit-and-run case. While acquitting Khan, the high court in its 304-page judgment, had noted that the prosecution had failed to prove all charges against the actor beyond reasonable doubt.

At the moment, there are 385 breath analysers at police stations across the state, of which only 294 are in a working condition. In Mumbai, of a total of 78 analysers, only 54 are working. In an earlier hearing, the state had informed the court that it has decided to have 45 mobile forensic support units, which would be under the supervision of the director general of police. These mobile forensic units will rush to the spot of offence to help gather evidence and to move it to the main laboratory.