Thane: The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Thane has asked the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to pay a compensation of Rs 1.12 crore to the family of a police constable killed in a road accident in 2022.
In the order passed on Friday, the MACT, presided over by member R V Mohite, directed the MSRTC to pay the compensation along with an interest at 9 per cent per annum, from the date of the petition until the amount is deposited, within one month from the date of the award.
Girish Ashok Harad (30), constable with the Mumbai police, was on way to join night duty on his scooter when a speeding MSRTC bus proceeding from Badlapur side towards Murbad left the road and collided with his vehicle near Sonawale village in Thane district.
Harad suffered serious injuries and succumbed while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kalyan.
The Kulgaon police had registered an FIR under various sections of the IPC against the MSRTC bus driver and filed a chargesheet.
At the time of the accident, Harad was earning Rs. 58,822 per month.
The claimants included his wife, minor daughter, parents and unmarried sister, who were dependent on his income.
The MSRTC, represented by advocate H P Patil, countered the claim, asserting the accident occurred due to the sole negligence of the deceased.
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It argued that the bus was on the correct side and the scooter, coming from the opposite direction at high speed, slipped and collided with the bus.
The claimants, represented by advocate M A Pendse, presented evidence, including the FIR, spot panchanama, postmortem report, and chargesheet.
The tribunal noted the road was wet at the time of the accident. It means it was raining either before the accident or at the time of accident.
In such a situation, both drivers had to take precaution while driving their respective vehicles, it said.
Thus, the tribunal held contributory negligence of both drivers and assessed negligence of the constable at 20 per cent and of the bus driver to the extent of 80 per cent for the assessment of compensation.
The compensation amount included loss of future income at Rs 72,73,728, future prospect - Rs 36,36,864, loss of consortium - Rs 2,00,000, loss of estate - Rs 15,000, funeral expenses - Rs. 15,000, and loss of love and affection - Rs 1,50,000.
The tribunal ordered that the constable's wife be given Rs 60.90 lakh, his three-year-old daughter Rs 44 lakh, while his parents were to be given Rs 3 lakh each and his sister Rs 2 lakh.
It said Rs 25 lakh of the compensation for the claimant's wife is to be invested in a fixed deposit for five years in a nationalised bank, while the compensation for his daughter is to be invested in a fixed deposit until she attains the age of majority.
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