The Supreme Court has quashed the High Court order prohibiting compensation exceeding Rs 50 lakh to the families of road accident victims and directed that compensation be provided to the families of the victims. A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Vishwanathan said the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order regarding the decision was “bizarre”. The Satna District Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) has accepted the claim from the victim’s wife and son. The court directed that a compensation of Rs 50,41,289 be paid to the victim’s family.
High Court ignores case – Supreme Court
“We are surprised that in the first appeal filed under Section 173 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the High Court ignored the matter and overturned the judgment passed by MACT by summary order,” the bench said. The Supreme Court said that an appeal under Section 173 of the Act was a first appeal and (at least) the High Court required a “careful analysis of the oral and documentary evidence adduced”. Before MACT.
The Supreme Court’s ruling came following an appeal filed by the victim’s family, challenging the order passed by the High Court in August 2023. The judge said he would consider sending the case back to the High Court for a new hearing.
What’s going on?
The court stated that since the incident occurred in 2018, six years later, we believe that any further delay will further exacerbate the pain of the already devastated family. The judge said the High Court quashed the ruling on the basis that the plaintiff had not provided any evidence to prove that the accident was caused by the truck involved. According to records, the victim, who works as an assistant postmaster in Maihar tehsil, was driving home on June 18, 2018, when a speeding truck hit his car. The claimant stated that he was taken to hospital with a spinal fracture but died that day.
After MACT compensated the victim’s family, the insurance company appealed to the High Court. The Supreme Court said: “We find the judgment of the High Court completely unacceptable.” The court upheld MACT’s finding that the death was caused by the negligent driving of the truck.
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