Case: RAJENDRA SINGH AND OTHERS Vs. NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED AND OTHERS

NAVIN SINHA, J. 1. Leave granted. 2. The High Court by the impugned order dismissed two appeals arising from separate orders of the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (hereinafter referred to as the Tribunal) deciding two accident compensation claims. The appellants had claimed further enhancement of compensation. 3. The deceased in the first appeal was a housewife aged about 30 years. The second deceased was her daughter aged about 12 years. The claimants are the husband/father of the deceased and three minor siblings. The two deceased on 25.12.2012 were travelling in a horse cart along with some others to a religious congregation. The horse cart was hit by a bus resulting in their death. The Tribunal assessed the notional income of the first deceased at Rs.36,000/- per annum and after 1/4 th deduction towards personal expenses, with a multiplier of 17 awarded a compensation of Rs.4,59,000/-. The Tribunal then deducted 50% on ground of contributory negligence as the horse cart was stated to have been in the middle of the road when the accident took place. A sum of Rs.1,00,000/- was then added as loss of consortium and Rs.25,000/- towards funeral expenses leading to an award total of Rs.3,54,500/- with interest at the rate of 7.5%. 4. In so far as the minor child is concerned, the notional income was assessed at Rs.36,000/- per annum, applying a 50% deduction towards personal expenses with a multiplier of 15, the compensation was awarded at Rs.2,70,000/- out of which 50% was again deducted towards contributory negligence. A sum of Rs.25,000/- was added towards funeral expenses, leading to an award total of Rs.1,60,000/- with interest at the rate of 7.5%. 5. The appeal for enhancement of compensation was dismissed by the High Court and thus the present appeals. 6. Learned counsel for the appellant submits that the notional income of the first deceased has been wrongly fixed ignoring her income of Rs.5000/- per month from dairy farm business. Nothing has been awarded towards future prospects. With regard to the second deceased it was submitted that she was studying in a school and her notional income should have been assessed at Rs.54,000/- per year. Nothing has been awarded towards loss of estate, loss of consortium and funeral expenses. The common submission in both the appeals was that deduction on ground of contributory negligence was unsustainable and unjustified. Reliance was placed on Kajal vs. Jagdish Chand & Ors., AIR 2020 SC 776 , to contend that the income of the deceased child should have been assessed at Rs.4846/- per month. 7. Learned counsel for the respondents submitted that the present appeals do not merit interference. There is no evidence with regard to the claimed business income of the first deceased. The finding of contributory negligence merits no interference. In absence of any proof of income, the question of future prospects simply does not arise. Similarly, the second deceased was a minor school going child who also had no income and therefore the question for grant of future prospects with regard to her also does not arise. 8. We have considered the submission on behalf of the parties. No evidence has been led by the appellant with regard to any income of the first deceased from dairy business. The deceased were travelling in a horse cart along with others to a religious congregation. It is not the case of the respondents that the first deceased was driving the horse cart or was the owner of the same, much less that it was being driven under her supervision. The deceased were travelling as passengers along with others. The fact that the horse cart may have been in middle of the road at the time of the accident, no fault can be attributed to the deceased holding them liable to contributory negligence and denial of full compensation.

Court's decision (1 = petition accepted / positive for appellant, 0 = rejected / negative): 0

Reasoning from the judgment:
0[ds]8. We have considered the submission on behalf of the parties. No evidence has been led by the appellant with regard to any income of the first deceased from dairy business. The deceased were travelling in a horse cart along with others to a religious congregation. It is not the case of the respondents that the first deceased was driving the horse cart or was the owner of the same, much less that it was being driven under her supervision. The deceased were travelling as passengers along with others. The fact that the horse cart may have been in middle of the road at the time of the accident, no fault can be attributed to the deceased holding them liable to contributory negligence and denial of full compensation.9. The first deceased was a housewife aged about 30 years. In Lata Wadhwa vs. State of Bihar, (2001) 8 SCC 197 , this court had observed that considering the multifarious services rendered by housewives, even on a modest estimation, the income of a housewife between the age group of 34 to 59 years who were active in life should be assessed at Rs 36,000 per annum. A distinction was also drawn with regard to elderly ladies in the age group of 62 to 72 who would be more adept in discharge of housewife duties by age and experience, and the value of services rendered by them has been taken at Rs 20,000 per annum.12. The second deceased was a school going child aged about 12 years. She had a whole future to look forward in life with all normal human aspirations. She died prematurely due to the accident at a very tender age for no fault of hers even before she could start to understand the beauty and joys of life with all its ups and downs. The loss of a human life untimely at childhood can never be measured in terms of loss of earning or monetary loss alone. The emotional attachments involved to the loss of the child can have a devastating effect on the family which needs to be visualised and understood. Grant of non-pecuniary damages for the wrong done by awarding compensation for loss of expectation in life is therefore called for. Undoubtedly the injury inflicted by deprivation of the life of the child is very difficult to quantify. The future also abounds with uncertainties. Therefore, the courts have used the expression just compensation to get over the difficulties in quantifying the figure to ensure consistency and uniformity in awarding compensation. This determination shall not depend upon financial position of the victim or the claimant but rather on the capacity and ability of the deceased to provide happiness in life to the claimants had she remained alive. The compensation is for loss of prospective happiness which the claimant would have enjoyed had the child not died at the tender age. Since the child was studying in a school and opportunities in life would undoubtedly abound for her as the years would have rolled by, compensation must also be granted with regard to future prospects. It can safely be presumed that education would have only led to her better growth and maturity with better prospects and a bright future for which compensation needs to be granted under non-pecuniary damages. (See R.K. Malik vs. Kiran Pal, (2009) 14 SCC 1 ).13. The income of the minor girl child is incapable of precise fixation. We find no reason to interfere with the assessed notional income of the second deceased. In R.K. Malik vs. Kiran Pal, (2009) 14 SCC 1 , considering grant of future prospects for the deceased child aged about 10 years it was observed as follows:32. A forceful submission has been made by the learned counsel appearing for the appellant claimants that both the Tribunal as well as the High Court failed to consider the claims of the appellants with regard to the future prospects of the children. It has been submitted that the evidence with regard to the same has been ignored by the courts below.33. On perusal of the evidence on record, we find merit in such submission that the courts below have overlooked that aspect of the matter while granting compensation. It is well-settled legal principle that in addition to awarding compensation for pecuniary losses, compensation must also be granted with regard to the future prospects of the children. It is incumbent upon the courts to consider the said aspect while awarding compensation…15. The deduction on account of contributory negligence has already been held by us to be unsustainable. The determination of a just and proper compensation to the appellants with regard to the deceased child, in the entirety of the facts and circumstances of the case does not persuade us to enhance the same any further from Rs.2,95,000/- by granting any further compensation under the separate head of future prospects. It may only be noticed that R.K. Malik (supra) does not consider Satender (supra) on the grant of future prospects as far as children are concerned.16. Kajal (supra) is distinguishable on its own facts. The victim of the accident was a nine month old child, whose disability certificate reflected that she would grow up to be an adult lying on the bed with all the physical and biological attributes of a woman on attaining adulthood, but her mind would remain of a nine month old child because of the accident. The case is completely distinguishable on its own facts and did not arise out of a death claim, leading to award of compensation towards expenses for frequent treatment, hospitalization, transportation, loss of future earnings, attendant charges, pain, suffering, loss of amenities, loss of marriage prospects and future medical treatment etc.