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NEW DELHI: It's rare, but the odds of you landing in jail for driving on the wrong side of the road have just multiplied: two taxi drivers caught doing so were thrown behind bars on Saturday by a Delhi traffic police court.

Police sources said the two cab drivers, Riyazuddin and Marghoob Rehman, were found driving dangerously on the wrong side near Kamla Market and booked under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act.

They were first issued a court challan each and asked to appear before a judge. When they went to pay the challan before the court, metropolitan judge (west) Abhishek Kumar sentenced them to a month in prison. TOI has in the past highlighted the menace of driving on the wrong side of the road.

The two drivers, residents of Paharganj , were not only on the wrong side but also at high speed to pick up passengers, avoid a traffic signal and take a U-turn back onto the right side about 500 metres ahead.

Traffic cops have been pushing for jail terms for people caught driving drunk or rashly as they put others in danger. Earlier, offenders would get away by paying a challan and then commit the same violation again. Traffic cops usually recommend suspension or cancellation of licences to the transport department, which then sends a notice to the offender to surrender his or her licence for the offence. Most of the time, the notices remained unserved. Police officials say the norm is that the licence is considered valid as long as it is held by the person.

Cops had identified 14 roads in 2017 and deployed special teams to check motorists driving on wrong side . Now, they have started conducting surprise checks. Delhi Police had sought the permission of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety to seize licenses for such violations, and for speeding or using a mobile phone while driving,earlier as well. The cops now feel a simple jail term will act as a far greater deterrent to most drivers who feel they can get away by just paying a fine.

Police had recommended similar punishment for offences like fitting a motor to a pedal rickshaws or using “jugaad vehicles”, especially in areas around central Delhi, that endanger the lives of pedestrians.

