Parents to get Rs 15 lakh as compensation for son's death 21 years ago

NEW DELHI: In July 1992, a tractor trolley carrying people turned turtle and a 10-year-old boy died. Since then, the grieving parents ran from pillar to post but returned empty handed, being denied any compensation for their son's death, both by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal and the Rajasthan High Court.

Of the 21 years, 19 were spent in the tribunal and the Jaipur bench of the HC, both of which doubted the death being caused by the tractor trolley turning turtle and denied the liability of the tractor owner or the insurance company to compensate the parents.

On appeal before the Supreme Court, a bench of Justices G S Singhvi and V Gopala Gowda not only set aside the concurrent decisions of the tribunal and the HC, but found that the parents were entitled to compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the death of their son.

In addition, the bench attached an interest of 6% per annum on the compensation amount from the date of filing of the appeal. The interest from 1992 till date works out to Rs 9.9 lakh, taking the total compensation to Rs 14.9 lakh.

"We direct the insurance company to issue the demand draft drawn on any nationalized bank by apportioning the compensation amount equally with proportionate interest and send it to the appellants (parents) within six weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this judgment," the bench ordered.