MACT Chairman Abhay J Mantri ordered the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) and its offending bus driver to jointly and severally make the payment to the claimants along with an interest at seven per cent per annum from the date of filing of the petition.
The order was passed in December 2022 and a copy of it was made available on Monday.
The applicants submitted before the tribunal that on November 19, 2017, Sachin Ramesh Mahadik (35), who was a police naik with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and resided in Thane’s Kalwa area, was riding pillion on a motorbike along with an associate and heading towards Kurla in neighbouring Mumbai via the Eastern Express Highway.
At that time, a BEST bus coming from behind rammed into the motorbike near Bhandup in Mumbai. Mahadik fell down and his helmet broke. His head got crushed and skull broke. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
The applicants – Mahadik’s 34-year-old wife who is a police constable, his mother aged 61 and six-year-old son — told the tribunal that the deceased earned a salary of Rs 36,930 per month.
The filed for a claim of Rs 80 lakh.
After hearing both the sides, the MACT concluded that the accident and the resultant death of the policeman was due to the BEST bus driver’s negligence.
The tribunal directed that once the claim amount is realised, an amount of Rs 40 lakh be kept in a fixed deposit in the name of the deceased’s son till he attains the age of majority, and the interest on it be paid to his mother.
It further ordered that the deceased’s wife and mother be paid Rs 14.11 lakh and Rs 10 lakh respectively along with the accrued interest thereon.
