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Court seizes KKRTC bus over non-payment of compensation in 2018 accident case
The accident in question occurred in 2018 near a toll gate between Maraballi and Jungamr Kalagudi, resulting in the death of 25-year-old Suresh Basappa Hoshuru and severe injuries to several others
A bus belonging to the Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) was seized by court-appointed staff at the Gangavathi bus stand in Koppal district over the corporation’s failure to pay ₹55 lakh compensation to the family of a victim and one of the injured after a road accident five years ago. The action was spearheaded by advocates Govindaraju and Kavitha, along with court officials.
A team of officials, including Yaseef Mia, Ramesh, Usman, Saiyadkadhar, and Venkatesh, carried out the court’s directive by confiscating the bus affiliated with the Koppal unit of KKRTC. The seizure was initiated to enforce a senior civil court judgment mandating financial compensation for the victims’ families.
Advocate M Govindaraju, representing the victims, said: “The court ordered compensation of ₹55 lakh to Suresh’s family and Narasappa. With the legal proceedings for other injured parties still ongoing, we have taken steps to seize the vehicle due to KKRTC’s failure to honour the judgment. If the transport department does not pay the compensation within the stipulated time frame, the court will auction the seized bus. Should the proceeds fall short, additional vehicles may be seized to cover the remaining amount.”
The accident in question occurred in 2018 near a toll gate between Maraballi and Jungamr Kalagudi, resulting in the death of 25-year-old Suresh Basappa Hoshuru and severe injuries to several others.
In 2019, the senior civil court ordered KKRTC to pay ₹45 lakh to the family of the deceased Suresh and ₹10 lakh to one of the injured, Narasappa Giddappa Mangalapura, for his injuries. Despite the court’s clear ruling, KKRTC failed to disburse the compensation, leading to legal action by the victims’ advocates.
In response to the seizure, KKRTC law officer Sharanabasappa Bhavikatti assured that the corporation would soon settle the compensation issue. “KKRTC will pay the compensation to the victims’ families shortly and resolve the matter,” he told Hindustan Times.
