The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) has directed the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to pay a compensation of ₹13.95 lakh to the family of a 53-year-old labourer who died after being hit by a state transport bus in 2021.
Tribunal member R.V. Mohite, in an order passed on August 26 and made available on Monday, held the MSRTC bus driver solely responsible for the accident and rejected the corporation’s contention that the victim was negligent.
The deceased, identified as Shivaji Ganapati Irule, was walking along Ghodbunder Road near Gaimukh Naka in Thane on October 9, 2021, when an MSRTC bus came at high speed with its left dicky door open. The door struck Irule with force, causing him to collapse.
He was rushed to a private hospital and later shifted to Thane Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him dead before admission. Following the incident, Kasarwadavali police registered a case against the bus driver under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act.
Rejecting MSRTC’s defense, the tribunal observed:
“The driver of the offending bus appeared to be negligent to keep open the door of dicky. There is nothing on record to show any contributory act on the part of deceased in the said accident.”
The tribunal further stated that both the driver and conductor bore responsibility to ensure the luggage compartment door was secured.
While the victim’s family claimed Irule earned ₹20,000 per month as a labourer, the tribunal fixed his notional income at ₹13,000 due to lack of documentary proof. On this basis, the compensation was calculated at ₹13,95,400, covering both pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages.
The tribunal directed MSRTC to deposit the amount within one month along with 9% annual interest from the date of filing of the petition.
Of the total compensation:
- Wife and mother of the deceased will each receive ₹4.97 lakh (a portion to be kept in fixed deposits for three years).
- Four children of the deceased will receive ₹1 lakh each.
