When Dr Yaseen Khan died in a road accident in Okhla in May 2023, his family’s world collapsed. Just 30 years old, he was a senior resident doctor with a promising career ahead, earning ₹1.4 lakh a month. He left behind his wife, parents, and two little sons. Four months later, his wife gave birth to another son, a child who would never meet his father.
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Two years later, a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal has awarded the family ₹2.52 crore as compensation. While the ruling brings some financial relief, it cannot ease the grief of a family forced to raise children without a father and a doctor lost to the city’s dangerous roads.
The accident happened when a bus ran over Dr Yaseen Khan’s two-wheeler, ending a life filled with hope and responsibility. His death not only robbed his family of a loved one but also of the future he was building for them.
Presiding officer Shelly Arora observed on Monday: “In a case of death, the legal heirs of the claimants cannot expect a windfall. Simultaneously, the compensation granted cannot be an apology for compensation.”
Considering the testimony of an eyewitness, the tribunal ruled that rash driving by the bus driver caused the accident. “It is a well-established legal principle that… the facts and circumstances must be considered in a broad and practical manner. It is also settled that proceedings under Motor Vehicles Act are different from regular civil suits and are not strictly governed by the technical rules of Indian Evidence Act,” it said, reported the media.
Shelly Arora was hearing the claim petition by the family members of the victim, Yaseen Khan.
The claimant’s advocate, Sumit Chaudhary, informed the tribunal that Khan was a senior resident doctor and contended that there was no dispute regarding the identification and involvement of the bus and its driver. Chaudhary said Khan’s family was dependent on his earnings. He also highlighted that the untimely death had caused immense financial and emotional hardship to them.
The counsel argued that the accident occurred due to the rash and negligent driving of the offending vehicle.
In an order dated September 8, the tribunal cited a 2017 verdict of the Supreme Court, according to which, “in a case of death, the legal heirs of the claimants cannot expect a windfall. Simultaneously, the compensation granted cannot be an apology for compensation”.
Noting the evidence before it, the tribunal said it was established that speedy and rash driving by the vehicle driver caused the fatal accident, reported the media.
“The facts and circumstances (of a motor accident claim) must be considered in a broad and practical manner. It is also settled that proceedings under the Motor Vehicles Act are different from regular civil suits and are not strictly governed by the technical rules of the Indian Evidence Act,” the tribunal said.
New India Assurance Company did not raise any dispute regarding the cause of the accident.
