Pune: In a landmark judgment, Mumbai High Court has partially granted claim of family of a Baramati professor, who was killed in a fatal collision with a truck in February 12, despite police case against the deceased.
The High Court in its verdict also held the truck driver also responsible for the accident, which led to recovery application being filed and which further was settled in the Lok Adalat. The family received ₹66.7 lakh as compensation.
In 2012, the family lost their breadwinner, but justice was served in 2024, a decade later. The applicants were represented by Advocates G.P. Shinde and Satish Gharat, while Advocate Shashikala Vagdarikar represented the insurance company.
The deceased in the accident was identified as Abhay Shatrughan Chaunde, aged 41. On February 21, 2012, Abhay was traveling from Pune to Baramati in a car when it collided head-on with a truck at Kedgaon Choufula Road, resulting in his death.
The police filed a case against the deceased Abhay. In this matter, Abhay's wife Shreya, son Kovid, and mother Sumati filed a compensation claim against the truck driver, owner, and Chola Mandalam Insurance Company on March 1, 2014.
Abhay was an assistant professor at Vidya Pratishthan, earning ₹60,000 per month. The compensation claim considered his salary and dependency.
However, the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal concluded that the car driver's error caused the accident and dismissed the claim in February 2020.
An appeal was filed in the Mumbai High Court against this decision. The High Court partially accepted the appeal and issued the above order in March 2024.
Following this, an application for recovery was filed. After a 12-year struggle, the family of the deceased finally received justice. "We are pleased to have delivered this justice," said Advocate G.P. Shinde, the applicants' lawyer.
