Two tribunals award Rs 32.74 lakh and Rs 5.25 crore for deaths

Motor accident claims tribunals in Delhi and Mumbai have ordered compensation in separate fatal road accident cases. The Delhi tribunal awarded over Rs 32.74 lakh to the family of Mukesh Kumar, a 49-year-old who died after his motorcycle was hit by a speeding truck in Sonia Vihar in 2023. The Mumbai tribunal directed BEST to pay nearly Rs 5.25 crore (including interest) to the family of Hemant Joshi, a 55-year-old interior designer killed by a bus in Mulund in 2018.

The Hindustan Times reported that the Delhi tribunal held the truck driver guilty of gross neglect and directed SBI General Insurance to pay the amount with 9 per cent annual interest. The Times of India noted that the Mumbai tribunal rejected BEST's defence that Joshi was on his phone while crossing, relying instead on the police charge sheet and an eyewitness account that confirmed the bus driver's recklessness.

Compensation in the Delhi case was based on minimum wages for a skilled worker as the deceased's income was unproven. In the Mumbai case, the tribunal used income tax returns to fix the deceased's average annual income at over Rs 35 lakh, adding 10 per cent for future prospects and deducting one-fourth for personal expenses. The Delhi insurer must deposit the amount within 30 days; BEST must pay within two months.