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MACT orders ₹19.20 cr payout to family of Mumbai bizman killed in expressway crash
The judgment, delivered on November 13, 2025, by Tribunal Chairman Mahendra K. Mahajan, held the truck driver solely responsible for the accident that killed Rajiv Vinod Shah, 41, a businessman from Vile Parle.
Pune: The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Pune has awarded ₹19.20 crore in compensation to the family of a Mumbai businessman who died in a 2012 accident on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway. The Tribunal granted a principal compensation of ₹10,95,99,579 ( ₹10.95 crore).
With 7.5% annual interest added from March 1, 2016, to November 13, 2025 — a period of nearly nine years and eight months — the total amount rose to ₹19.20 crore, almost double the original award due to the long pendency of the case.
The judgment, delivered on November 13, 2025, by Tribunal Chairman Mahendra K. Mahajan, held the truck driver solely responsible for the accident that killed Rajiv Vinod Shah, 41, a businessman from Vile Parle.
Shah was travelling towards Pune in his Honda City (MH-02/BM-4137) on January 9, 2012, when a rashly driven truck (MH-12/FZ-4899) first hit another Honda City coming from the opposite direction. The impact pushed that car across the divider into the Pune-bound lane, where it crashed into Shah’s vehicle. His car then moved into the second lane and was struck by an Asiad bus, causing it to overturn. Shah died on the spot from severe injuries.
The insurance company argued that the crash involved composite negligence because multiple vehicles were part of the sequence. The Tribunal rejected this and held that the truck driver’s negligent driving alone caused the accident. The FIR registered at Talegaon Dabhade police station had charged the truck driver under IPC sections 279, 304A, 337, 338, 427 and relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.
The Tribunal awarded ₹10,92,75,579 towards loss of dependency, ₹2,88,000 towards loss of consortium and love and affection, and ₹18,000 each towards funeral expenses and loss of estate.
The calculation was based on Shah’s annual income of ₹1.20 crore as shown in income-tax returns, after income-tax deduction, adding 25% towards future prospects, a one-fourth deduction for personal expenses, and applying a multiplier of 14 considering his age.
The Tribunal disallowed the claim of ₹6.87 lakh for loss of the car due to lack of supporting evidence. It also declined to consider over ₹1 crore declared as capital gains and other income in the tax returns, noting these categories were not specifically mentioned in the claim petition.
Iffco-Tokio General Insurance Co. Ltd. and truck owner Vishnu Nivrutti Chavan were directed to pay the amount jointly and severally, with interest calculated from March 1, 2016 — the date the claim was filed.
The claim petition, filed under Section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act, was received on February 1, 2016, registered on April 28, 2016, and decided after nine years and eight months. The case proceeded ex parte after the opponents failed to appear despite a public notice.
