Mohali: Tribunal awards ₹13 lakh to kin of woman killed in road mishap

The victim, Manjeet Kaur, worked as a domestic worker in four houses, was hit by a car while walking in TDI City, Sector 111

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal has awarded ₹13 lakh in compensation to the family of a 52-year-old woman who died after a car hit her while she was walking in TDI City, Sector 111, on April 25, 2025. The tribunal held the car’s driver, owner and insurer jointly and severally liable and directed them to pay the amount with 7.5% annual interest from the date, the family filed the claim until realisation.

Tribunal directed 7% annual interest along with compensation to husband and children of the victim. (HT File)

The victim, Manjeet Kaur, worked as a domestic worker in four houses, her husband, Balwinder Singh, told the tribunal. He claimed she earned ₹30,000 a month. However, as he could not produce evidence to establish her occupation and income, the tribunal assessed her notional monthly income at ₹15,000, treating her as a homemaker.

In its award, the tribunal recognised her contribution to the household and said the family lost her domestic care and support. It added 10% to her assessed income towards future prospects, calculated the family’s annual dependency at ₹99,000 after deducting half for personal expenses, and applied a multiplier of 11 to arrive at ₹11 lakh.

The tribunal added ₹2 lakh for loss of consortium to her husband and three children, ₹18,150 for loss of estate and ₹18,150 for funeral expenses, taking the total compensation to ₹13,18,900.

The family had sought ₹30 lakh, claiming Manjeet was 50 at the time of the accident and that her income supported the household. The tribunal, however, relied on her Aadhaar card to determine that she was 52.

The accident took place around 7am when Manjeet was walking in TDI City. An eyewitness, Gurmeet Singh, told the tribunal that a car bearing registration number CH-01-CX-0607 hit her from behind, causing head and other injuries. She was taken to Civil Hospital in Phase 6, Mohali, where she died during treatment.

The tribunal relied on the eyewitness’s testimony, the police report and other records to hold Anita, the driver, responsible for the accident. The vehicle belonged to Sonu Singh and was insured with Magma HDI General Insurance Company.

The insurer disputed the vehicle’s involvement and alleged that the driver lacked a valid licence and that the deceased contributed to the accident by walking in the middle of the road. The tribunal rejected these objections, noting that the insurer produced no evidence to establish the alleged breaches or contributory negligence.

The award apportions 47% of the compensation to the husband and 17% each to the son and two daughters.