Actor Suraj Venjaramoodu is in danger of losing his eligibility to drive for three months with the Kerala Motor Vehicles department (MVD) going ahead with a decision to suspend his driving licence after the actor allegedly failed to respond to three notices issued to him in connection with an accident involving a car driven by him in Kochi city last year.
A motorcyclist, identified as Sarath of Manjeri, had sustained a fracture after being allegedly knocked down by the actor’s car along the Thammanam-Karanakkodam Road within the Palarivattom police station limits on the night of June 29, 2023. The police had registered a case against the actor under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others).
Based on the FIR, the MVD had initially served a notice at once and then followed it up with two more notices by registered post. While one had gone unclaimed, there was no response to the other, said Ernakulam Regional Transport Office (RTO) sources. Invoking Section 338 entails suspension of driving licence for three months.
“Since the actor has chosen not to respond to the notices and give his version of the incident, in which case we would have considered at least lowering the suspension period, we have decided to go ahead with the decision and suspend the licence for three months in the next few days. However, the actor can still choose to turn up before us and give his account before that,” a senior MVD official said.
‘Not aware of notices’
When contacted, sources close to the actor said that they were not aware of any such notice.
Incidentally, Suraj Venjaramoodu had acted in the blockbuster Malayalam movie Driving Licence in which he donned the role of Motor Vehicles Inspector who denies licence to a movie star, played by Prithviraj Sukumaran, following his perceived humiliation by the latter.
Suspension of driving licences has become regular for traffic offences of late. Around 100 to 150 licences are suspended for periods varying between three months and a year in a month depending on the gravity of offences in the Ernakulam RTO limits alone. Causing an accident leading to death entails suspension of the driving licence for up to a year. Drunken driving charged under the Motor Vehicles Act Section 185 (driving by a drunken person or by a person under the influence of drugs) has emerged as the most common offence for the suspension of driving licence in Ernakulam district.
