Sikkim High Court upholds Rs 85 lakh award to brothers-in-law of road accident victim

The Sikkim High Court has upheld a compensation award of Rs 85.59 lakh to the siblings of a woman who died in a road accident along with her husband and two children. The court ruled that the adult siblings-in-law of the victim were, in fact, financially dependent on her and her husband's jointly run business. The National Insurance Company had challenged the award, arguing that the claimants, being adults, were not dependents.

The court noted that the claimants had produced Income Tax Returns establishing the business as their sole source of income. The insurer did not provide evidence of independent income for the claimants. The court also considered the possibility that the siblings could inherit the deceased children's estate, potentially entitled to even higher compensation.