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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Ruskin Bond hospitalised in Dehradun due to leg problem
Dehradun (PTI): Author Ruskin Bond has been admitted to a hospital in Dehradun due to a leg problem, a close friend of the writer said here on Sunday.
After visiting Bond at the hospital, well-known Dehradun-based publisher Upendra Arora said the elderly author was unable to walk properly, following which he was admitted to a private hospital here on Saturday.
The 91-year-old Bond, a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, lives in the Landour area of Mussoorie.
Arora said Bond is undergoing physiotherapy under medical supervision and is expected to be discharged from the hospital in two to three days.
"There is nothing serious," he said.
Bond has written more than 500 short stories, essays and novels, of which 69 books are for children.
He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992 for Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra.
