E-Paper
Mohali man who lost his finger in workplace mishap gets ₹1.5-lakh relief
Mohali resident’s index finger was completely crushed while at work at a tractor factory in April 2004
The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed the Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) to pay compensation of ₹1.5 lakh, under Employment Disablement Benefit, to the worker who lost his index finger, 17 years ago, in an employment injury.
Jasbir Singh, the counsel for the complainant Anand Verma, a resident of Mohali, stated that Verma was working with M/s Eicher Tractor Limited (now TMTL Private Limited) in tehsil Kasauli, Solan district, Himachal Pradesh, and sustained an employment injury on April 12, 2004. The index finger of his left hand was completely crushed.
The worker was covered under the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) scheme and was entitled to cashless medical treatment and disablement benefits as per the ESI Act 1948. However, ESIC did not grant him the entitled benefits.
As a result, the worker filed a claim under the Employees Compensation Act before the ‘Commissioner-Employees Compensation’ in Solan, naming the principal employer and the regional office ESIC Parwanoo as parties. The claim was dismissed on technical grounds on March 11, 2022, with the court stating that it lacked jurisdiction to award compensation to the petitioner/insured person.
The worker subsequently filed a consumer complaint in consumer disputes redressal commission in Mohali on May 12, 2022. The opposing party, ESIC, through their branch manager, appealed to the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission Punjab. The commission partially allowed the appeal and directed the appellants/OPs to adjust an amount of ₹7,826 against the amount awarded by the panel and to pay the remaining amount to the complainant as per the order.
It awarded ₹47,950 along with interest at a rate of 9% and compensation amounting to ₹25,000 to the complainant for the mental harassment, agony, and litigation expenses, totalling around ₹1.5 lakh.
