New Delhi: Family members of a 28-year-old youth, who died in a road accident involving a rashly driven UP roadways bus, have been awarded a compensation of over Rs 17 lakh by a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) here.
The tribunal directed the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) to pay an amount of Rs 17,14,816 as compensation to the wife, parents and three minor sons of Bhagat, who was riding a motorcycle with two other persons when they were mowed down by the bus in 2010.
During the proceedings, the driver and the UP Roadways denied the allegations and contended that there were three persons on the motorcycle which was being driven in a rash manner leading to the accident.
The tribunal, however, rejected the contentions of the respondents saying, "Mere triple riding of the motorcycle does not in itself dis?entitle victim's legal heirs for claiming compensation under Motor Vehicle Act and there was no evidence on record regarding any rash and negligent driving of the bike."
"In view of testimonies of the victim's wife and an eyewitness of the accident, and certified copies of criminal record produced, no doubt is left in respect of the deceased having suffered fatal injuries in road accident due to rash and negligent driving of the vehicle (bus)," MACT Presiding Officer S C Malik said.
The tribunal held the UP Roadways, UP government and the driver of the bus "jointly and severally liable to make the payment of compensation to the petitioners".
While deciding the case in favour of petitioners -- wife, parents and three children of victim--, the tribunal said, "No amount of money can compensate the loss of a husband to his wife, loss of father to his children and loss of son to his aged parents."
According to the petition, on July 8, 2010 victim Bhagat, a north Delhi resident, was riding pillion on a motorcycle with his mother-in-law and brother-in-law.
When they reached a spot near Gautam Budh Nagar in UP, a UPSRTC bus driven in a rash and negligent manner came at a high speed from opposite direction and hit their motorcycle.
Due to the impact, all the three occupants of the bike fell on the road and sustained fatal head injuries, it said.
The petition, filed by wife of Bhagat, who was grocery shop owner, had claimed a compensation of Rs 25 lakh.
On a separate petition filed in the same accident, the tribunal has already awarded Rs 13.5 lakh compensation to the family members of Bhagat's mother-in-law, who too had expired.
