Vehicle owner to pay compensation in minor-driven accident, rules Karnataka High Court
Bengaluru: In a recent ruling, the Karnataka High Court has determined that the owner of a vehicle, rather than the insurance company, must pay compensation if a minor is involved in causing an accident. This decision comes following a petition by the New India Assurance Company challenging a previous tribunal judgment.
Justice Hanchate Sanjeev Kumar, presiding over the single-bench, quashed the Motor Vehicle Accident Tribunal's decision that held the insurance company liable for compensating the claimants. The court also increased the compensation amount from Rs 2.56 lakh to Rs 4.44 lakh, with an interest rate of 6% per annum.
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The case stems from a tragic incident on December 12, 2008, when Hassan Shabbir was fatally injured by a two-wheeler driven by a minor on National Highway 17 (now National Highway 66) in Ranginakatta, Bhatkal. Initially, the tribunal had ruled on August 11, 2014, that the family of the deceased—Bibi Naisa and two others from Kundapur taluk, Udupi district—should receive Rs 2.56 lakh in compensation with an 8% annual interest.
The New India Assurance Company contested this ruling, arguing that since the accident was caused by a 16-year-old without a driving license, they were not responsible for compensating the victim's family. They presented the police charge-sheet, which confirmed that a minor, Abdul Hakeem Gawai, was riding the two-wheeler that struck Shabbir.
In its recent judgment, the High Court has placed the responsibility for compensation on Mohammed Mustafa, the vehicle's owner. The court justified increasing the compensation amount due to the victim’s age at the time of the accident (61 years) and the fact that he is survived by his wife and two children.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
