Supreme court wants just relief to road accident victims

Anbu alias Anbarasu died in an accident on Perunduri Road of Erode district in Tamil Nadu. He was riding a motorbike when a speeding state transport corporation bus crushed him.

“It is the duty of the courts and tribunals to award just compensation to the victims of the road accidents,” said the apex court bench of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya.

Granting a compensation of Rs.4.80 lakh to parents of Anbu, the court said that compensation amount would attract an interest of 9 percent per annum from the day of the filing of petition June 16, 1999.

The interest on Rs.4.80 lakh would be paid for 11 years and the total amount may add up to nearly Rs.11 lakh.

The court directed the state express transport corporation to comply with its order within three months and pay the compensation to victim’s parents, Meenakshi and Nallasamy.

The court said that 50 percent of the total compensation would be put in a fixed deposit in the name of Anbu’s mother Meenakshi and the balance would be given to Nallasamy by way of a bank draft.

Appearing for the petitioner parents, counsel V. Arunagiri told the court that the high court was not justified in modifying the amount of compensation from Rs.4.38 lakh to Rs.3.38 lakh.

The Erode based Motor Accident Claims Tribunal by its order dated July 14, 2005, earlier awarded a compensation of Rs.4.38 lakh to the victim’s parents.

The Madras High Court by its judgment July 11, 2008, while allowing an appeal by the state had modified the compensation amount.