Rs 67.48 lakh compensation awarded to kin of man killed in bus accident

A Delhi Motor Accident Claims Tribunal has awarded Rs 67.48 lakh as compensation to the family of a 33-year-old mobile phone technician, who died after being hit by a bus in northeast Delhi in December 2021.

Presiding Officer Manish Sharma heard the claim petition filed by the family of Shakeel Ahmed and directed Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd, the insurer of the offending bus, to pay Rs 67,48,200 along with interest at 9 per cent per annum to the victim’s family.

The order dated July 6 said, “This tribunal is constrained to hold Respondent No 1 guilty of driving the offending vehicle rashly at the relevant time, leading to the death of the deceased.”

According to the tribunal, Shakeel Ahmed lost his life after a bus hit his scooter near the Seelampur red light on December 16, 2021. The deceased was survived by his wife, three children and elderly parents, who filed the compensation claim.

The driver and owner of the bus denied negligence, claiming that the deceased was attempting to overtake the bus from the wrong side and had collided with it. However, the tribunal rejected the defence, saying that the respondents failed to produce any evidence to support their version.

It held that the accident occurred due to the rash and negligent driving of the bus and held the insurance company liable to satisfy the award.

While computing the compensation, the tribunal accepted evidence that the deceased worked as an expert mobile phone repair technician, earning Rs 30,000 per month. It also took note of records showing that he travelled to China for business purposes with his employer.

“Last drawn salary shall be taken into account for calculating income of the petitioner for the grant of compensation, and to be taken into consideration for calculating the income of the deceased. Therefore, the income of the deceased is assessed as Rs 30,000 per month on the date of the incident,” the tribunal said.

It arrived at the total compensation of Rs 67.48 lakh by applying the applicable multiplier, adding future prospects and awarding compensation under conventional heads such as loss of consortium, funeral expenses and loss of estate.

The insurer has been directed to deposit the award amount within 30 days, failing which it will be liable to pay interest at 12 per cent per annum for the period of delay.