Chennai: A 26-year-old man, who lost his leg in an accident nine years ago, has been awarded a compensation of Rs 13 lakh by the Madras high court, which on Thursday set aside the order of the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, Chennai, giving him a mere Rs 2.85 lakh.
Justice S. Vimala said the tribunal had fixed the compensation using a mathematical formula adopting artificial standards without looking into the consequences of the injury suffered.
R. Venkatesh was a Class X student of the Ebenezer Matriculation School and a kabadi player when he was hit by a lorry in 2004 and had to have his leg amputated above the knee.
When the tribunal awarded him a compensation of Rs 2.85 lakh in 2008 , he filed an appeal before the Madras high court challenging it.
“As rightly pointed out by the appellant counsel, the son, who has to support his parents, is now at their mercy for life. In such circumstances, even though money is not equivalent for a leg, an amount which will provide a helping hand to the victim should be provided. With the assistance of money, he could get the assistance of somebody else throughout his life,” said Justice Vimala. n P5
