"The car was owned by Charan. Even if he was not driving the car, he had the knowledge - that his friend was drunk and this could lead to accidents," said advocate at the Madras high court V Kannadasan.T Charankumar, in his bail petition to the traffic police, said he was innocent as he was not driving. He should be held equally responsible".Ideally, the passenger should be let off with a warning a warning - at best file case of abetment, say lawyers. "What if the driver of a call taxi was drunk and you were a passenger?," asked another advocate at the Madras high court V S Suresh. "The police should thoroughly investigate the circumstances and file the chargesheet accordingly," he added.

Source: Times of India September 25, 2016 23:26 UTC