Typed Breathalyzer Reports Invalid Without Original Printout to Prove Drunken Driving: Kerala HC

The Kerala High Court ruled that only the original printout from a breathalyzer test is admissible as evidence to provide the offenses of drunken driving under Section 203(6) of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The petitioner was charged with rash driving and drunken driving. The police issued a typed copy of the breathalyzer test instead of the original printout.

The petitioner argued that the typed copy lacked legal validity, citing a police circular requiring proper tests with printed results as evidence.

The Court upheld the circular and the two-hour deadline for submitting the printout, ruling that the typed report was inadmissible as evidence, and dismissed the case.