‘No casual worker’: 29 years after woman’s accident death, daughter gets Rs 58 lakh

In 1997, a bus accident in Punjab claimed the life of a woman who was travelling from Chandigarh to Pathankot. An FIR was later registered at a Kangra district police station after a truck collided head-on with the bus. The woman, who had been working as an Anganwari worker and tailor, died at the scene. Her daughter, a minor at the time of the incident, was awarded Rs 1.92 lakh by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) on November 1, 2001, for the loss.

However, the High Court has now increased the compensation to Rs 57.96 lakh, stating that the earlier ruling was legally unsustainable. The tribunal's decision to classify the woman as a casual manual labourer was deemed unjustified as she was the sole breadwinner for her family. The court ruled that the daughter should receive compensation for her mother's loss, including the value of her care and affection, funeral expenses, and parental consortium.

The total compensation, including interest, amounts to Rs 57.96 lakh, significantly higher than the initial award.