A city Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Pune on Thursday awarded over Rs 77 lakh in compensation in separate petitions related to a 2016 road accident. On August 19, 2016, a medical professional couple riding a motorcycle was killed after a car driving on the wrong side struck them in Lohegaon.
Compensation Details
MACT member Bandopant Digambar Kulkarni passed separate awards in the connected petitions. The tribunal awarded Rs 62.8 lakh compensation in the case of the man, who worked as a casualty medical officer in a hospital. It awarded Rs 14.8 lakh compensation in the connected petition regarding his wife, who worked as a clinical assistant in a prominent hospital. The woman died on the same day, while the man succumbed to his injuries a few weeks into treatment.
Negligence and Legal Proceedings
The tribunal held the car driver negligent, noting that a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court had convicted him to three months imprisonment in the connected criminal case in 2017. The tribunal directed the insurer and vehicle owner to jointly and severally pay the compensation with 7% annual interest, excluding a specified period during which proceedings were delayed due to a dispute between the paternal and maternal grandfathers.
Guardianship Dispute
While deciding the compensation claims, the tribunal also dealt with a dispute between the child's paternal and maternal grandfathers. Both sides claimed they were looking after the minor boy after the death of his parents. The tribunal clarified that it had no jurisdiction to decide custody disputes. It noted that a civil court had already appointed the paternal grandfather as guardian, and that order would remain binding unless set aside by a competent court.
Most of the compensation amount will be protected in fixed deposits in the minor's name until he attains majority.
