A recent court decision has increased the compensation for the parents of a young boy who tragically died in a road accident. Here's what happened.
On an unfortunate day, a 14-year-old boy on his way to school in New Delhi was hit by a truck. The truck was driven recklessly, leading to the immediate death of two of his classmates. The boy passed away a day later in the hospital.
The parents initially received ₹1,29,500 as compensation from the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal. They felt this amount didn't reflect the loss they endured and asked for more in the High Court. The High Court increased it to ₹4,70,000, but the parents still believed it wasn't enough.
Mr. John Mathew, the lawyer for the parents, argued that the compensation should consider what the boy might have earned in the future. He mentioned a past case where a seven-year-old child received more money for compensation due to injuries.
The insurance company, represented by Mr. Ranjan Kumar Pandey, agreed to use minimum wages for calculating the compensation but insisted on using a multiplier of 15, based on a previous case, Reshma Kumari v. Madan Mohan.
The Supreme Court, with Justice K. Vinod Chandran in charge, decided on December 15, 2025, to increase the compensation. They calculated the boy's expected income using the Minimum Wages Act. The final compensation included:
The total came to ₹8,65,400, with an interest rate of 7.5% applied, to be paid within two months.
The Supreme Court increased the compensation to ₹8,65,400, considering various factors like loss of support, pain and suffering, and other expenses, to be paid with interest within two months.
