24 Feb :A parliamentary committee has recommended tougher punishment for an accident caused by a drunken driver saying it should be treated as a premeditated commitment to a crime, the Lok Sabha was told.
The recommendations were made by Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture which examined the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2007, Minister of State for Home Radhika V Selvi told the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Tuesday.
The committe has recommended that provisions be made in the Indian Penal Code that death due to drunken driving should be treated as culpable homicide not amounting to murder, she said.
It also says that an accident by a drunken driver should not be considered as mere negligence but should be treated as a premeditated commitment to a crime and the driver should be punished under the relevant provisions of IPC, Selvi said.
The matter is currently under consideration of the Department of Road Transport and Highways and the views of Home Ministry have been communicated to it, she added.