In Brief
A young student pursuing his Chartered Accountancy course died in a motor accident caused by a truck driver's negligence. His family claimed he earned Rs. 15,000 monthly based on income certificates. The lower courts rejected these unwitnessed certificates and awarded compensation of Rs. 4,31,000 using a multiplier of 11 based on parents' age. The Supreme Court upheld the income assessment but allowed the appeal, ruling the multiplier should be 17 (based on the deceased's age of 20) and granting a 40% future prospects addition. The corrected compensation was set at Rs. 8,86,800 with 7.5% interest.
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