Mohali: Tribunal awards Rs13-lakh to elderly parents of man killed near Punjab–Haryana border

The tribunal ordered the insurer to release the amount with interest, holding that the family had proved their claim through consistent evidence

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT), Mohali, has awarded ₹13 lakh compensation to the elderly parents of a 45-year-old man who died after a car hit him near the Jharmadi bus stop along the Punjab–Haryana border last year and fled the scene.

The insurer has been directed to release the amount with 7.5% annual interest from the date of filing the petition. (HT Photo)

The tribunal ordered the insurer to release the amount with interest, holding that the family had proved their claim through consistent evidence.

According to the petition, the victim, Sanjeev Kumar, had been waiting for a bus to Ambala with his younger brother, Rakesh Kumar, around 11 pm on May 21, 2025, when a speeding car struck him and fled. Local residents rushed him to civil hospital, Dera Bassi, where doctors declared him dead.

Rakesh appeared as the sole eyewitness and told the tribunal that the vehicle appeared suddenly and hit his brother before anyone could react. He stated that he noted the registration number in a moment of panic and later corrected it in a supplementary statement after verifying the sequence. The tribunal accepted the explanation, observing that the correction did not affect the core description of the accident.

The FIR, medical records, site plan and police’s final report supported Rakesh’s account. The driver, Ajay, denied involvement and claimed he had been falsely named, but he did not step into the witness box to support his defence. The insurer also raised objections regarding the number plate and the manner of the accident, but the tribunal found no material to discredit the petitioner’s version.

The tribunal noted that Sanjeev, a daily-wage worker, supported his 80-year-old father Partap Singh and 77-year-old mother Darshna Devi. His death left the household without income, compelling the parents to pursue the claim to secure basic sustenance. The tribunal applied the standard multiplier method, added filial consortium for both parents and other admissible heads, and arrived at a total compensation of ₹13 lakh. The insurer has been directed to release the amount with 7.5% annual interest from the date of filing the petition.