E-Paper
MACT awards ₹95 lakh to 2018 road mishap victims’ kin
The mishap took place on July 2, 2018, when Narmail Singh and his friend Satish Kumar Kumar, both residents of Ambala, were crossing Tangri river on their way back from Barwala
The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT) of the district court has directed the owner, driver and insurer of a car that collided with a motorcycle in 2018 and claimed the lives of the two riders to pay the victims’ families around ₹95 lakh as compensation.
Holding the three parties liable for the fatal mishap, the court of justice Jaibir Singh ordered them to jointly pay the families of the victims – Narmail Singh, 54, a draftsman at the Command Hospital in Chandimandir, and Satish Kumar, 45, a driver for a private company in Dera Bassi – a compensation of ₹85,08,016 and ₹10,29,468, respectively.
The driver and owner of the car that mowed down the bike-borne men told the court that no accident had taken place and that a false FIR had been registered to implicate the driver. The insurance company had pleaded that the petitioner’s claims do not fulfil the terms of Section 166 of Motor Vehicle Act. They alleged that the driver did not have his driving licence, vehicle registration certificate and permit at the time of the mishap. The insurer also claimed that the driver was under the influence of alcohol when the accident took place.
Observing that an eyewitness had testified that the car was being driven recklessly, the court ruled in favour of the victims’ families. The compensation was calculated by taking the victims’ salaries into account. As per the orders Singh’s wife, son and mother will get ₹ 28,36,005 each, while Kumar’s wife, son and daughter will receive ₹3,43,156 each.
The fatal mishap (Box)
The mishap took place on July 2, 2018, when Narmail Singh and his friend Satish Kumar Kumar, both residents of Ambala, were crossing Tangri river on their way back from Barwala, where they had been visiting Singh’s brother. The bike-borne victims died after a head-on collision with the car being driven by Rajbir of Sullar village, Ambala.
Both victims were rushed to the Government Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula, where Singh was declared brought dead. Kumar, who had been riding pillion, was referred to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), but he succumbed on the way.
A case of reckless driving was registered against the accused, Rajbir, at the Raipur Rani police station in Panchkula.
