The family of former Maharashtra minister Shrikant Jichkar, who was killed in a road accident in 2004, has been awarded a compensation of Rs 50.67 lakh by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal here.
The family had claimed a compensation of Rs 25.82 crore, citing irreparable loss of a versatile personality whose life came to an abrupt end due to rash and negligent driving of a MSRTC bus driver on June 2 that year.
The Tribunal ordered MSRTC to pay the compensation and absolved the insurance company from paying any sum since the car belonged to Jichkar himself.
The family of Jichkar's lecturer friend Shriram Dhawad, who also died in the accident, would get Rs 21.60 lakh as compensation. About 70 per cent of this amount (Rs 15.12 lakh) would be given by MSRTC while the remaining 30 per cent (Rs 6.48 lakh) would have to be shelled out by Jichkar's family.
Since the car belonged to them (Jichkars), their driver was also held guilty of contributory negligence.
Principal District and Sessions Judge Subhash Mohod in a recent judgement, while partly allowing the claims petition filed by Jichkar's family and heirs of Dhawad, scaled down the compensation on the basis of annual income returns, their earning potential and by applying the time-tested formula of awarding damages to family members of the deceased persons.
Jichkar was returning home from his Kondhali farm with Dhawad when a rashly driven ST bus dashed against his luxury car near Wad Dhamna on busy Nagpur-Amravati National Highway.
Both of them suffered multiple wounds and were rushed to a private hospital where they succumbed to injuries within hours.
The widow, two sons and parents of Dhawad filed a claim petition against MSRTC, car owner and insurance company and sought Rs 40 lakh as compensation with 18 per cent interest from the date of accident till realisation.
