2016 hit and run case: Delhi tribunal orders insurance company to compensate kin with Rs 1.98 cr

A Delhi court ordered an insurance company to compensate the parents of a man who died in a hit and run case in 2016 with Rs 1.98 crore. The victim, Sidhharth Sharma, was 32 years old at the time of the incident, reported TOI.

A Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT) judge and presiding officer Dr Pankaj Sharma said that Sharma's death was caused by reckless and negligent driving by a minor. The fatal accident took place when Sharma was crossing a road in the Civil Lines area of Delhi on April 4, 2016.

"In fact, the father Manoj Aggarwal, wilfully cultivated the illegal behaviour of his minor son by ignoring his act at the cost of other road users. He failed to realise even from his past acts that allowing his minor son to drive can be disastrous to others. Instead of preventing his minor son from driving a Mercedes car, he chose to ignore it, which implies tacit consent on his part. The very fact that at the time of accident he was at home, the same was all the more reason to stop his son from taking the car from home for a joy ride," the court said on July 6.



The court observed that the victim was earning Rs 25,000 in January 2015 and was pursuing his higher education. He had received an offer of Rs 10 lakh per annum in March 2016.

The court decided the compensation amount based on these factors. The court directed the insurance company to award around Rs 1.21 crore as compensation along with around Rs 77.61 lakh as interest. The court dismissed the father's plea seeking exoneration of liability.

The court also said that the insurance company could recover the amount from the company of the father of the accused under which the Mercedes Benz was registered.



According to a report filed by police, the minor was driving the car at high speed and was accompanied by six friends. Sharma was hit and thrown about 15-20 feet in the air before succumbing to injuries.

The incident was caught on CCTV camera. The police had registered the case under section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

Shilpa Mittal, the sister of the deceased, expressed her frustration with the lengthy legal process following her brother's death. "Despite the passing of eight years, the case is going on, and the compensation that should have been received within three years only arrived after a significant delay. It has been eight years, but the case is still going on. I will fight till my brother gets justice," Mittal said.