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Goa SUV accident: Car owner to deposit ₹2 crore in high court for victims
Meghana Sinai Sawardekar said she will deposit ₹2 crore compensation in the high court registry for the victims
PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa on Wednesday took on record an assurance by Meghana Sinai Sawardekar, the owner of the speeding luxury car allegedly involved in the road accident in which three people died, that she will deposit ₹2 crore in the high court registry to be used for compensating the victims of the accident.
Three people including a couple died in the accident and three others were injured - one of them is still undergoing treatment at the hospital - in the August 6 accident when a Mercedes SUV allegedly crashed into oncoming traffic on a bridge in Banastarim, around 15km from the capital city of Panaji.
The assurance came on a nudge by the bench of justices M S Sonak and Bharat Deshpande during the hearing asked if she would offer compensation to the victims “without prejudice to their rights and contentions and further, without in any manner prejudicing their rights to defend themselves.”
The court was hearing the Sawardekar plea challenging the summons issued to her by the police probing the case.
Paresh alias Shripad Sinai Sawardekar, her husband, who was allegedly driving the SUV under the influence of alcohol, has been arrested by the Goa Police and charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
According to the police, Shripad, 48, was allegedly under the influence of alcohol when the accident took place. Police said Meghana Sinai Sawardekar was also in the car when the vehicle allegedly entered the highway from the approach ramp at a high speed, veered into oncoming traffic along the narrow two-lane road that led up to the bridge and crashed head on into a motorcycle and scooter before ramming into three cars and settling on the opposite side of the bridge.
Suresh (58), his wife Bhavana Phadte (52) and Anup Karmakar (26) died in the accident.
Once the amount is deposited, it should be apportioned to the victims in the following manner: ₹50 lakh to be paid to the legal heirs of the Phadte couple (Bhavana and Suresh Phadte); ₹50 lakh to be paid to the parents and brother of Arup Karmakar and ₹25 lakh each to Vanita Bhandari, Raj Majgaonkar and Shankar Halarnkar, the high court ordered.
“This amount is basically for the treatment of these injured persons The balance amount of ₹25 lakh will remain deposited in this court for the time being. This amount should be invested in a nationalised bank by the registry,” the high court ruled.
