In Brief
In June 2007, a branch fell from an old roadside tree onto a stationary autorickshaw where the claimant was sheltering during heavy rain in Bangalore, causing permanent paralysis of both legs. The Supreme Court clarified that such accidents do not qualify as motor vehicle accidents under the Motor Vehicles Act because the vehicle played no active causal role—a pedestrian sheltering under the tree would have suffered identical harm. However, rejecting a purely technical approach, the Court invoked its extraordinary constitutional powers to award ₹25 lakh compensation (enhanced from ₹17.1 lakh), distributed among the auto insurer, municipal corporation, and state horticulture department, recognizing the claimant's life-altering injuries.
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