In Brief
This appeal concerned the death of Satbir Singh, an LIC agent and postal employee, killed in a motor vehicle accident. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal awarded ₹12,64,660 in compensation, which the High Court upheld. The appellants (legal heirs) challenged the Tribunal's calculation of insurance income loss at only ₹56,528 per year, despite evidence proving annual income of ₹3.5–5 lakh from this source. The Supreme Court held the Tribunal's reasoning unjustifiably wrong. Even though legal heirs would receive some future commissions on existing policies, this did not negate loss of the deceased's ongoing business income. The Court increased compensation to ₹25 lakh plus interest, emphasizing that all proved income sources must be properly quantified in calculating loss of earning capacity.
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