The Tripura High Court has modified the sentence of a man convicted for rash and negligent driving, replacing his imprisonment with a fine of ₹8,000 after considering that he was a first-time offender.

The Court observed that in the absence of any previous criminal conduct on record, a lenient view could be taken in respect of the punishment, while maintaining his conviction under the relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act.

Justice Biswajit Palit remarked that: “Since there is no other evidence on record that the accused petitioner committed any offence earlier at any point of time so prima facie he is a first time offender. So some lenient view may be taken in respect of punishment imposed upon the petitioner.”

The prosecution alleged that on October 28, 2021, the petitioner was driving a Maruti Suzuki Alto at high speed towards Matabari in Udaipur when he ignored a police signal to stop and rammed into the official vehicle of the SDPO, Udaipur, damaging its bumper.

The police chased the vehicle, which eventually overturned near Peratia Forest Drop Gate. During the subsequent search, 55 bottles of foreign liquor were recovered, and the petitioner was also found to be driving without a valid driving licence.

The Trial Court convicted him under Section 279 of the IPC and Sections 179, 180 and 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act, imposing imprisonment and fines. The Sessions Court upheld the conviction and sentence, following which the petitioner approached the High Court challenging the concurrent findings.

The High Court examined the testimonies of all 13 prosecution witnesses and found that their evidence consistently established that the petitioner had driven the vehicle at high speed, rammed into the SDPO's official vehicle and attempted to flee.

The Court observed that the defence had failed to establish any material contradictions or discredit the prosecution witnesses. Accordingly, it found no ground to interfere with the concurrent findings of conviction.

However, considering that the petitioner was a first-time offender with no previous criminal record, the Court adopted a lenient approach and converted the imprisonment into a fine of ₹8,000, while maintaining the conviction under the relevant provisions of the IPC and the Motor Vehicles Act.

Date of Decision: 07.10.2026