In Geevarghese K.A. v. State of Kerala [2026:KER:84602], the Kerala High Court directed the Transport Commissioner to take prompt and effective action to suspend or revoke the licences of persons engaged in drunken driving without waiting for conviction.
The High Court relied on the Supreme Court precedents in S. Rajaseekaran v. Union of India [2014 (6) SCC 36], Re: Phalodi Accident v. National Highways Authority of India and Others as well as the High Court in Anoop v. State of Kerala [2019 (4) KLT 615] on road safety.
The Supreme Court in S. Rajaseekaran v. Union of India (2014) issued directions to all States and Union Territories to take action by suspending driving licences for at least three months in cases of:
- over speeding and red-light violations;
- overloading of goods carriages and carriage of passengers in goods vehicles;
- driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs; and
- use of mobile phones while driving.
In Anoop v. State of Kerala [2019 (4) KLT 615], the High Court had held that the police officers and MVD officials can forward the licence of the offending driver to initiate action as per Section 19(1) of the MV Act read with Rule 21 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules in appropriate cases involving drunken driving.
The Kerala High Court in Geevarghese K.A. v. State of Kerala [2026: KER:84602] reaffirmed that where a road traffic accident is prima facie attributable to a driver’s state of intoxication, the Licensing Authority shall examine the matter without delay and consider the initiation of proceedings for disqualification or revocation of the driving licence in accordance with law.
