In the order passed on Friday, the MACT, presided over by member R V Mohite, directed the MSRTC to pay the compensation along with an interest at 9 per cent per annum, from the date of the petition until the amount is deposited, within one month from the date of the award
The victim, Girish Ashok Harad (30), a police constable with Mumbai Police, was on his way to report for night duty when the accident occurred. Representational Pic
The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Thane has directed the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to pay Rs 1.12 crore as compensation to the family of a Mumbai police constable who lost his life in a road accident in 2022.
In an order passed on Friday, the MACT, presided over by member R.V. Mohite, ordered the MSRTC to pay the compensation amount with 9 per cent annual interest from the date of filing the claim until the final payment is made. The tribunal has given MSRTC one month from the date of the order to deposit the amount, according to news agency PTI.
The victim, Girish Ashok Harad (30), a police constable with Mumbai Police, was on his way to report for night duty when the accident occurred. A speeding MSRTC bus, travelling from Badlapur towards Murbad, veered off the road and rammed into Harad's scooter near Sonawale village in Thane district.
Harad sustained severe injuries and later died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kalyan.
Following the incident, the Kulgaon police registered a case against the MSRTC driver under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and filed a chargesheet, as per PTI.
At the time of the accident, Harad was earning Rs. 58,822 per month. The claimants included his wife, minor daughter, parents and unmarried sister, who were dependent on his income.
The MSRTC, represented by advocate H P Patil, countered the claim, asserting the accident occurred due to the sole negligence of the deceased. It argued that the bus was on the correct side and the scooter, coming from the opposite direction at high speed, slipped and collided with the bus.
The claimants, represented by advocate M A Pendse, presented evidence, including the FIR, spot panchanama, postmortem report, and chargesheet, PTI reported.
The tribunal noted the road was wet at the time of the accident. It means it was raining either before the accident or at the time of the accident.
In such a situation, both drivers had to take precautions while driving their respective vehicles, it said.
Thus, the tribunal held contributory negligence of both drivers and assessed negligence of the constable at 20 per cent and of the bus driver to the extent of 80 per cent for the assessment of compensation.
The compensation amount included loss of future income at Rs 72,73,728, future prospect - Rs 36,36,864, loss of consortium - Rs 2,00,000, loss of estate - Rs 15,000, funeral expenses - Rs. 15,000, and loss of love and affection - Rs 1,50,000, according to PTI.
The tribunal ordered that the constable's wife be given Rs 60.90 lakh, his three-year-old daughter Rs 44 lakh, while his parents were to be given Rs 3 lakh each and his sister Rs 2 lakh.
It said Rs 25 lakh of the compensation for the claimant's wife is to be invested in a fixed deposit for five years in a nationalised bank, while the compensation for his daughter is to be invested in a fixed deposit until she attains the age of majority.
(With PTI inputs)
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