In Brief
A 12-year-old brilliant student died in a motor vehicle accident in 2003. His mother claimed Rs. 2,00,000 as compensation. The MACT awarded Rs. 1,50,000 and the High Court enhanced it to Rs. 2,00,000. The Supreme Court held that compensation is not limited by the claimed amount and must be 'just and reasonable'. The Court enhanced the notional income from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 30,000 (accounting for currency devaluation and future prospects), applied a multiplier of 15 years to calculate loss of dependency as Rs. 4,50,000, added Rs. 50,000 for conventional heads, and awarded total compensation of Rs. 5,00,000 with 7% interest from the date of petition, increasing the award by Rs. 3,00,000.
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