Telangana: After drunken drive, anchor Pradeep Machiraju loses driving licence

Hyderabad: The driving licence of Telugu anchor Pradeep Machiraju was cancelled by a Nampally court for three years on charges of drunk driving.

It also imposed a fine of Rs 2,100 on him. His BMW was seized by the Jubilee Hills traffic police. He attended the court proceedings on Friday.

Pradeep was caught driving in an inebriated condition on New Year eve. His blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level was found to be 178 mg/ml.

He attended the counselling after absconding for many days.

Punishment not enough: Expert
Traffic DCP A.V. Ranganath said, “He cannot drive for the next three years. If he is caught driving even in an emergency, he will be imprisoned.” He would have to approach court for a new licence as renewal would be on court orders, he added.

Road safety experts said the punishment was not harsh enough. Traffic expert Vinod Kanumala said he had seen people with 53 mg/ml imprisoned for three days and another person with 125 mg/ml was imprisoned for a day. “I thought Pradeep would be imprisoned for at least three days.” He said cancellation of his licence was not a big deal as he could easily afford a driver. The anchor was not available for comment.