Pay dead cop’s kin Rs 63.2 lakh, insurer told

CHENNAI: A city accident claims tribunal has directed an insurance firm to pay ₹63.2 lakh to the family of an Andhra Pradesh policeman who was killed after a rashly driven two-wheeler hit the motorcycle he was riding pillion on while on highway patrol duty. The family moved the tribunal seeking a compensation of Rs 1 crore from the insurer.

The deceased, M Sudhakar, was working as a constable attached to the Gajulamandalya police station in Urban Tirupati district. On March 21, 2017, Sudhakar was riding pillion on a two-wheeler with a colleague along Puthalpattu-Naidupetta bypass road near Renigunta when a two wheeler hit their bike. The two policemen were thrown off the bike in the impact and two days after the accident, Sudhakar died of injuries.

In response, the insurance firm argued that the accident happened due to negligent driving by the other party and it could not be held liable to pay compensation as it had not been proved with enough evidence that its client was responsible for the accident. The court, after perusing the submitted evidence, noted that the other two-wheeler was driven by a minor without a valid driving licence. Documents stated that the minor was in an inebriated state and was riding triple when the accident happened.

After noting the same, the tribunal held that the insurer of the two-wheeler is liable to pay compensation to the family of the deceased policeman. When the insurer contended that neither the place of the accident nor the residence of petitioners come under the jurisdiction of the tribunal, it was pointed out that the deceased policeman’s family lives in quarters in Tiruvallur district on Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border and bank passbooks of the family members were submitted.

After computing various factors including loss of income, future prospects among others, the tribunal arrived at an amount of ₹63.2 lakh to be paid to the family.

Source: The Times of India

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