In Brief
The parents of a 23-year-old man killed in a road accident appealed against the High Court's reduction of compensation from Rs. 11,66,800 to Rs. 4,14,000. The deceased was a pillion rider on a motorcycle that was struck from behind by a car. The High Court had imposed a 10% reduction for contributory negligence (finding fault in riding with two others), rejected the employer's testimony of the deceased's Rs. 9,600 monthly salary in favour of statutory minimum wages, and applied a lower multiplier. The Supreme Court reversed the High Court, holding that merely riding as a pillion with others does not constitute contributory negligence without causal connection to the accident; the trial court's acceptance of the employer's credible testimony should not be overturned; and the multiplier should be based on the deceased's age, not the dependents' age, following established larger bench precedent.
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