Eight years on, HC upholds ₹62L compensation to family of SRK’s production house employee

The court described the matter as “rather heart-wrenching and a tragic saga” of a talented young professional at the prime of her life. Khandal, then 28, suffered critical cervical spinal cord injuries after being hit by a vehicle in Mumbai on March 25, 2012

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court has upheld a compensation of ₹62.2 lakh awarded by the Motor Accidents Claim Tribunal (MACT), Mumbai, to the family of Charu Khandal, a former character animator at Red Chillies Entertainment—Shah Rukh Khan’s production house—who sustained severe spinal injuries in a 2012 road accident and died nearly five years later.

Eight years on, HC upholds ₹62L compensation to family of SRK’s production house employee

A division bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Advait Sethna, while dismissing an appeal filed by the insurer, Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd, observed that the compensation was “fair and reasonable” in light of the circumstances.

“Perfect compensation is hardly possible, but fair compensation ought to be the norm. Each case has to be decided on its own facts,” the bench said in its order dated May 9. “Given the tragic facts of this case, the least that can be done to serve the ends of justice is to uphold the grant of compensation… to the family of the deceased, who did not deserve the life she went through after the accident, ultimately leading to her death.”

The court described the matter as “rather heart-wrenching and a tragic saga” of a talented young professional at the prime of her life. Khandal, then 28, suffered critical cervical spinal cord injuries after being hit by a vehicle in Mumbai on March 25, 2012. Though she survived the crash, she remained paralysed and bedridden until she passed away on January 17, 2017.

Following the accident, Khandal underwent extensive treatment at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital between March and June 2012. Her family reportedly spent over ₹20 lakh on her care over the next several years.

The MACT had awarded compensation on November 27, 2020, based on a claim filed by her family. However, the insurance company challenged the tribunal’s order in the High Court, arguing that her death was unrelated to the accident and pointing to technical deficiencies such as the absence of proof for some medical bills.

The bench rejected these objections, stating, “It would be extremely harsh, excessive, and rather pedantic to assess every single medical bill with mathematical accuracy in such matters of life and death. That is not what the law mandates.”

Finding no irregularity or illegality in the MACT’s reasoning, the High Court dismissed the insurer’s appeal and affirmed the compensation to Khandal’s family.