MACT Awards Compensation in Fatal Road Accident Case

The Thane Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) has granted a collective compensation of Rs 49.32 lakh to the families of two men who lost their lives and five others who sustained injuries in a road accident in 2018.

The victims, all followers of Saibaba, were accompanying a ‘Sai Palkhi’ (palanquin) on foot towards Shirdi on December 22, 2018, when a car collided with them from behind near Devpur Phata on the Sinnar-Shirdi road, as informed by the petitioners’ advocate, S M Pawar.

Two individuals lost their lives, and several others were injured in the tragic incident.

MACT Chairman and Principal District Judge S B Agrawal resolved seven claims related to the families of the deceased and the injured individuals.

The tribunal specified that the compensation, inclusive of interest at a rate of 7.50 per annum (from the date of filing the claim), is to be initially provided by the insurance company of the offending vehicle and subsequently recovered from its owner.

The parents of 19-year-old Aniket Deepak Mehatre, who perished in the accident, received compensation of Rs 25 lakh. Aniket was employed and earning a monthly salary of Rs 30,000 before his demise. The mother and brother of Andru Anthony Kini (32), also a victim of the accident, were awarded compensation of Rs 16,82,800. Andru was earning Rs 50,000 per month at the time of his death.

Furthermore, the tribunal instructed a portion of the compensation amount to be invested in fixed deposits for a specified duration, with the remainder handed over to the claimants.

Additionally, the MACT granted compensations ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 4 lakh to five other individuals based on their injuries and the impact on their livelihoods.

In reaching its verdict, the tribunal considered various factors, including eyewitness testimonies and police reports, which indicated the negligence of the car driver, even as the vehicle’s insurer attempted to challenge the claim based on the validity of the driver’s license and possible intoxication.