New Delhi, July 30 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the manufacturer, maintenance operator and owner of premises housing an elevator are jointly and severally liable under public law to ensure the safety of passengers and compensate victims in the event of an accident, likening elevators to "common carriers" that owe users the highest duty of care. A bench of justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe upheld a 2014 order of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), fastening liability on OTIS Elevator Company (India) Ltd, the Military Engineering Service (MES) and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for the death of former Indian diplomat Vipin Handa in a lift accident at the RAW headquarters in New Delhi in March 2003. Dismissing OTIS's appeal, the court affirmed the NCDRC's direction awarding Rs.3,01,48,195 as compensation to Handa's widow and two children, along with interest at 9% per annum from March 20, 2003, the date of the accident, rising to 12% in case of default beyond 90 days. The consumer commission had apportioned liability at 70% on OTIS, 25% on MES and 5% on RAW. The top court also directed the NCDRC to proceed with execution of the award, bringing to an end over two decades of litigation. In a judgment that lays down important principles on liability arising from elevator accidents, the bench said passengers entrust their safety entirely to an automated transport system over which they have no control, warranting a heightened legal duty on those responsible for its design, maintenance and operation. "An elevator must be construed and deemed to be a common carrier," held the court, adding that the manufacturer, operator and owner of the premises together constitute the "carrier" from the perspective of public law and "shall jointly and severally be liable to safeguard the user." The bench said consumers cannot be expected to unravel the inter se liabilities of multiple entities before obtaining compensation and should be entitled to recover damages from any of the joint operators. The judgment emphasised that with cities increasingly growing vertically, elevators have become indispensable to urban life, making passenger safety "not merely expected but...a fundamental assurance that every elevator must provide." The accident occurred on March 20, 2003, after a meeting of senior RAW officers on the 11th floor of the agency's Lodhi Road headquarters. The elevator carrying 13 occupants stopped abruptly between the sixth and seventh floors. During the rescue operation, while Handa was halfway out of the lift, it suddenly descended, crushing his neck between the lift cabin and the floor, resulting in his death. Eleven other occupants were rescued later. An FIR under Section 304-A of the IPC (causing death by rash and negligent death) was registered, and an IIT Delhi expert was asked to investigate the cause of the accident. The diplomat's family approached the NCDRC in 2005 seeking compensation of Rs.1.89 crore. In January 2014, the Commission found OTIS deficient in service for installing and maintaining the lift without a recommended voltage stabiliser despite repeated complaints of malfunctioning, or maintain attendance records, and not imparting emergency rescue training....