The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Thane has awarded ₹13.85 lakh as compensation to the family of a 53-year-old security guard who was killed in a road accident in 2022 while on duty.
The incident took place on May 14, 2022, in the Wagle Estate area of Thane. The victim, Kamlesh Rammurat Singh, was working as a security guard in the compound of a private company when a pick-up truck, owned by a Thane-based hospital, was driven rashly and at high speed. It rammed into a parked Maruti Suzuki Eeco van, crushing Singh between the van and the compound wall. He sustained a severe head injury and died on the spot.
In the judgment delivered on October 10, MACT member R.V. Mohite relied on CCTV footage and the police chargesheet, noting that the video “clearly shows the driver of the offending Tata pick-up rashly and negligently and in high speed drove it and gave a dash to the Maruti Suzuki Eeco vehicle.”
The tribunal found that the truck’s driver did not hold a valid or effective driving licence at the time of the accident. It also recorded that the insurance company proved there was a willful breach of the insurance policy terms by the vehicle owner.
Citing Supreme Court precedents, the tribunal directed that even when a policy breach is proven, the insurance company must first “satisfy the award in favour of the third party at the first instance and then recover the awarded amount from the owner or driver of the vehicle.”
Accordingly, the insurer was ordered to pay the compensation and later recover the amount from the owner.
The MACT awarded a total of ₹13,85,400 with 9% annual interest to Singh’s family. Of this, ₹6.85 lakh is to be given to his wife, and ₹3.5 lakh each to his two children. The tribunal also directed that portions of the compensation be invested in two-year fixed deposits for financial security.
