Rani Kandhari vs Lal Chand Meena and Others

G.P. Mittal, J.—The Appellant Rani Kandhari seeks enhancement of compensation of Rs.70,000/- for the death of her mother Satya Devi who died in an accident which took place on 30.04.1996. During enquiry before the Claims Tribunal it was claimed that the deceased was doing the business of a commission Agent and was earning Rs.8000/- per month. No evidence with regard to the business or the deceased''s income was produced. No income tax return was placed on record although any income beyond Rs. 40,000/- was taxable at that time. In the circumstances, the Claims Tribunal awarded a sum of Rs.70,000/- as lump sum compensation.

The Appellant is the deceased''s married daughter living in Delhi; whereas the deceased was a resident of Ludhiana. The case is covered by the judgment of the Supreme Court in Smt. Manjuri Bera Vs. The Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. and Another, . A compensation of Rs.50,000/- if taken towards Loss to Estate, Rs.15,000/- towards Loss of Love and Affection and Rs.5000/- towards funeral expenses (considering that the accident occurred in the year 1996), then the overall compensation of Rs.70,000/- awarded by the Claims Tribunal cannot be said to be unreasonable or on the lower side. The Appeal is devoid of any merit. The same is accordingly dismissed.