E-Paper
Panchkula: Tribunal awards ₹72-lakh relief in 2023 fatal head-on collision
The first petition was filed by Shabnam, wife of the deceased Firoz Khan, 25, along with their one-month-old son and in-laws, all residents of Yamunanagar. The second petition was filed by Khushwant Singh, 37, also from Yamunanagar, who was injured in the same accident.
The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Panchkula has awarded a total compensation of ₹72.33 lakh in two separate petitions arising from a single road accident that took place in December last year. The tribunal pronounced the orders on November 13.
The first petition was filed by Shabnam, wife of the deceased Firoz Khan, 25, along with their one-month-old son and in-laws, all residents of Yamunanagar. The second petition was filed by Khushwant Singh, 37, also from Yamunanagar, who was injured in the same accident.
The respondents in both cases were Ashmi Ram Bhasker, the car’s driver-cum-owner from Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, and New India Assurance Company Limited, the vehicle’s insurer.
According to case details, the accident occurred on December 26, 2023, around 12.30 pm. Firoz Khan was riding a motorcycle towards Panchkula with Khushwant Singh as the pillion rider. Due to ongoing repair work by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), traffic for both directions had been diverted onto a single lane. When they reached Mouli village near Vicky Dhaba, a car bearing an HP registration number allegedly came at high speed on the wrong side and collided head-on with their motorcycle.
Both men sustained serious injuries and were taken to the government hospital in Raipur Rani before being referred to PGI, Chandigarh.
Firoz Khan succumbed to his injuries, while Khushwant Singh underwent multiple surgeries.
An FIR under Sections 279, 304-A, 338 and 427 of the IPC was registered against the car driver. Both the victims were working as professional drivers.
During the proceedings, the driver-cum-owner and the insurer denied that their vehicle was involved in the accident. However, after examining the evidence and witness testimonies, the tribunal held them liable.
The MACT awarded ₹44.01 lakh to Firoz Khan’s family and ₹28.32 lakh to injured Khushwant Singh, directing the insurance company to release the compensation.
