HC asks BMTC to pay Rs 35L as compensation to family of girl who died in 2015 scooter- bus collision
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has directed the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to pay the family of an engineering student who died in a bus accident in 2015 Rs 35,53,400 with 6 per cent annual interest as compensation.
The compensation amount exceeds what was awarded initially by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, which directed BMTC to pay the victim’s family Rs 20,46,400.
On November 12, 2015, 20-year-old Mary Sindhu, an Engineering student, was traveling on a scooter as pillion rider when a speeding BMTC bus collided with the two-wheeler near PES College in Konappana Agrahara. While both Mary and Yogesh, who was riding the scooter, sustained injuries in the accident, Mary died at the Sparsh Hospital on November 15 after undergoing four days of treatment.
Mary’s parents Christy Babu and Mary Franchana and her brother CB Denis demanded a compensation of Rs 50 lakh from the BMTC, stating that Mary, who was studying in her seventh semester of Civil Engineering had been earning Rs 30,000 monthly. As BMTC challenged this, putting forth the argument that both parties were responsible for the accident, the Tribunal directed the Corporation to pay a compensation amount of Rs 15,07,000 with 9 per cent interest on November 28, 2016.
The accident victim’s family filed a plea in the High Court, arguing that the scooty was travelling at moderate speed and the bus driver was at fault for the accident. They also highlighted Sindhu's academic potential and that her future earnings were likely to be Rs 50,000-60,000 a month at a multi-national corporation.
The BMTC defended the bus driver in the High Court too, alleging police collusion with the claimants. The transport corporation also questioned in court the validity of the scooter rider's licence.
The division bench of Justice KS Mudagal and Justice Vijayakumar A Patil, who heard the case, noted from the evidence that the driver of the BMTC bus had reached the accident spot at high speed and a major portion of the bus crossed the scooter and its left side near the rear door hit the two-wheeler, resulting in the accident. The eyewitness, Yogesh Kumar, also deposed that the accident was due to the negligence of the bus driver, the judges added.
Also noting that the deceased girl was about to complete her engineering course and taking into consideration her academic excellence, the bench said that it would be justice to reassess the income of the deceased at Rs 22,000 per month.
An appeal filed by BMTC against the Tribunal's award was rejected by the HC.
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Kejriwal admits AAP Government failed to fulfil three promises, Congress criticises
New Delhi: Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal admitted during a speech at Laxmi Bai Nagar that his government failed to fulfil three major promises made earlier. He assured the gathering that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is working towards addressing these issues.
Kejriwal said, "I could not fulfil three promises, cleaning the Yamuna River, providing clean drinking water 24 hours a day, and upgrading Delhi’s roads to European standards." He also reminded the audience of his 2023 promise to clean the Yamuna and take a dip in its waters before the 2025 Assembly polls. Recently, he inaugurated a 24-hour drinking water supply in Rajendra Nagar and vowed to extend this initiative across Delhi.
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit, contesting against Kejriwal, criticised him for failing to address pollution in the Yamuna and Delhi's toxic air. Dikshit, son of former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, alleged that the Kejriwal government had neglected setting up sewage treatment plants, worsening the Yamuna's pollution.
He also attributed Delhi’s air pollution to the rising number of vehicles, lack of a strong public transport system, and diminishing green cover. "The number of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses has decreased from 5,500 in 2013 to around 3,000 now," Dikshit added.
