Mumbai Tribunal Awards ₹ 1.36 Crore Compensation

 Mumbai's Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) has granted a compensation of over ₹1.36 crore to the family of a motorcycle rider who died in a road accident in Thane district of Maharashtra in 2018. The MACT rejected the defense presented by the insurance company of the vehicle involved, which claimed that the accident resulted solely from the deceased rider's negligence.

The incident occurred in December 2018 on the Mumbai-Agra highway in Shahapur, Thane. The victim, Arvind Balasubramaniam, was traveling on his motorcycle from Thane to Igatpuri when a jeep coming from the opposite direction collided with his two-wheeler. The impact caused him to fall onto the road, resulting in fatal injuries.

Arvind Balasubramaniam worked at an IT company. His family, including his wife, parents, and sister, argued that the accident was caused by the reckless and negligent driving of the jeep's driver. Consequently, they sought a compensation of ₹2 crore jointly from the vehicle's owner and the insurance company.

The MACT dismissed the insurance company's assertion that the accident was solely due to the rider's negligence. The tribunal ruled that there was no substantial evidence to support this defense. Instead, it found that the driver of the jeep had been driving recklessly and negligently without regard for the traffic on the road at the time of the accident.

As a result, both the owner of the offending vehicle and its insurance company have been deemed jointly and severally responsible for paying a compensation of ₹1.36 crore, along with interest, to the deceased rider's family, according to the tribunal's order.