In Brief
A 30-year-old Chartered Accountant was injured in a motor accident, suffering 70% permanent disability including fractures to both legs. The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal awarded Rs. 5,35,227 in compensation without applying the multiplier method, and the High Court enhanced it to Rs. 6,35,000 in lump sum. The Supreme Court held that the multiplier method is legally established and must be applied unless there are rare exceptions. Since the appellant's professional work requires free movement to visit clients and appear before authorities, the 70% permanent disability significantly affected earning capacity. The Court recalculated compensation using a multiplier of 17 and 70% disability factor, awarding Rs. 19,93,227 total, plus interest. The appeal was allowed.
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