Summary: The Madras High Court made a decision on two appeals related to a car accident compensation case. Reliance General Insurance Co. Ltd. and a second wife of the person who died, A. Paul Raj, were the ones who appealed. The court changed the compensation amounts and explained the legal status of the second wife.
The case is about a sad car accident that happened on January 4, 2014, in Chennai. A. Paul Raj, the person who got hurt, had serious injuries and passed away on June 2, 2014. His death led to a legal fight over compensation, with several people saying they were his rightful family members.
The case was first decided by the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal in Chennai, which gave a compensation of Rs. 48,01,500 on March 24, 2020. Reliance General Insurance Co. Ltd., and the second wife of A. Paul Raj, filed appeals against this decision.
Reliance General Insurance Co. Ltd., represented by Mr. Arun Kumar, argued that the compensation for losing love and affection and for losing a parent was too much. They said it should not be more than Rs. 1,20,000, based on guidelines from the Supreme Court. They also disagreed with how the monthly income of the deceased was calculated for the compensation.
"The Tribunal awarded a sum of Rs.1,90,000 towards loss of love and affection, which is contrary to settled principles." — Insurance Company's Lawyer
The second wife, represented by Mr. F. Terry Chella Raja, argued for her right to compensation as a legal representative. However, the court found no proof of a legal marriage, as it was supposedly done while the first marriage was still valid.
"The alleged marriage of the appellant with the deceased is void in law." — Court's Observation
Loss of Consortium: The court changed the compensation for loss of consortium to Rs. 1,20,000, following the Supreme Court's guidelines.
Legal Standing of the Second Wife: The court ruled that the second marriage was not legally valid, denying her compensation claims.
Medical Expenses: The court agreed with the Tribunal's decision on medical expenses, as the second wife couldn't prove she helped pay for them.
The court, led by Justices C.V. Karthikeyan and K. Kumaresh Babu, delivered the final judgment on January 23, 2026. The compensation was reduced to Rs. 45,81,497, with specific amounts set aside for loss of love and affection and consortium.
"The third petitioner and respondents 3 and 4 are awarded a compensation of Rs.45,81,497." — Final Court Order
