SC Urges Annual-Increase in Hit-and-Run Compensation; Government Given 8 Weeks to Decide

SC Urges Annual-Increase in Hit-and-Run Compensation; Government Given 8 Weeks to Decide

Asif Iqbal | January 14, 2024 | 07:09 PM IST | Courts & Law, Politics | Follow on Google News

SC Urges Annual-Increase in Hit-and-Run Compensation; Government Given 8 Weeks to Decide

SC Urges Annual-Increase in Hit-and-Run Compensation; Government Given 8 Weeks to Decide

The Central government has been instructed by the Supreme Court to consider the prospect of annually increasing compensation amounts for death and severe injuries resulting from hit-and-run accidents. The court has set an eight-week deadline for the government to make a decision, with a follow-up scheduled on April 22.

The Supreme Court, highlighting the provisions of the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act, 1988, pointed out that in cases of death due to hit-and-run accidents, the Act mandates a compensation of Rs 2 lakh or a higher amount determined by the central government. For cases of grievous injury, the prescribed compensation is Rs 50,000. Additionally, the court has directed the police to inform the families of accident victims about the compensation scheme outlined in the MV Act.

The bench, consisting of Justices A S Oka and Pankaj Mithal, took note of reports from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways indicating a significant increase in hit-and-run accidents from 55,942 in 2016 to 67,387 in 2022. The court stressed the importance of public awareness about the compensation scheme, pointing out a discrepancy between reported accidents and registered cases for compensation.

Referring to a response by the road transport and highways minister in the Lok Sabha, the court stated that in the last five years, there were 660 deaths and 113 injury cases in hit-and-run incidents, with compensation disbursed amounting to Rs 184.60 lakh. Expressing concern over the underutilization of the compensation scheme, the court speculated that victims might not be aware of its existence.

Acknowledging the diminishing value of money over time, the Supreme Court directed the central government to consider gradually increasing compensation amounts annually. The government is expected to reach a decision on this matter within eight weeks.

The court also addressed the effective implementation of the Compensation of Victims of Hit and Run Motor Accidents Scheme, 2022, which replaced the Solatium Scheme, 1989, starting April 1, 2022. The bench emphasized the role of standing committees at both central and district levels in reviewing the scheme’s functionality and suggesting amendments if necessary.

Furthermore, the court directed the standing committee to issue detailed guidelines for public awareness and sensitization regarding the scheme. It stipulated that if vehicle details are unavailable at the time of the accident report, the police must inform the injured or the legal representatives of the deceased about the possibility of claiming compensation under the scheme within a month of the accident report’s registration. Contact details of the jurisdictional claims enquiry officer should also be provided for communication with the affected parties.

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Asif Iqbal

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