Bengaluru, June 24 -- In a significant ruling that broadens the scope of beneficiaries under motor accident compensation law, the Karnataka High Court has held that a second wife and her child are also entitled to compensation if they are able to establish dependency on the deceased.
A Division Bench of Justices Jayant Banerji and Tara Vitasta Ganju observed that entitlement under the Motor Vehicles Act cannot be restricted strictly to formal legal relationships, but must be guided by the actual dependence and loss suffered due to the death of the victim.
The Court made the observation while enhancing a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) award in a case arising from the death of a flower crop agriculturist who died in a road accident....