The Madhya Pradesh High Court raised compensation for the parents of a boy killed in a 2019 crash to ₹825,500 after revisiting the age and other inputs used in the tribunal’s calculation.
Justice Amit Seth issued the Nov. 3 order in Rajesh Singh and another v. Rahul Singh and others, Miscellaneous Appeal No. 6071 of 2022. The order’s neutral citation is 2026:MPHC-GWL:33646.
Harendra Singh Baghel died in a road accident on Dec. 24, 2019. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal in Bhind had used his Aadhaar card to calculate his age as 14 years, 7 months and 9 days. His postmortem report recorded his age as 13.
The High Court relied on the medical assessment in this case. It said an Aadhaar card, while an identity document, does not alone establish its holder’s age conclusively.
Separately, the court reduced the multiplier from 18 to 15, citing the Supreme Court’s ruling in Divya v. National Insurance Company Limited for victims under 15.
The court set monthly income at ₹7,950 under Madhya Pradesh State Legal Services Authority guidelines. With a 50% deduction for personal expenses and the 15 multiplier, it calculated dependency losses at ₹715,500.
The award also included ₹40,000 in parental consortium compensation for each parent, plus ₹15,000 each for funeral expenses and loss of estate. The total of ₹825,500 was ₹280,500 above the tribunal’s Sept. 14, 2022 award of ₹545,000.
The ₹280,500 enhancement carries 6% annual interest from the date the original claim petition was filed until payment. The parents’ appeal was partly allowed, and the insurer’s cross-objections on age and the multiplier were allowed. The court directed that a copy of its order be sent to the tribunal for information and compliance.
