Mumbai, May 12 — The Bombay High Court has upheld a compensation order of Rs 62 lakh in favor of the family of Charu Khandal, an animator employed with actor Shah Rukh Khan’s production house, Red Chillies Entertainment. Khandal had sustained serious injuries in a hit-and-run accident and later succumbed to her injuries in 2017.
As per agency report, the division bench comprising Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Advait Sethna observed that while awarding complete compensation may not always be possible, granting fair compensation should be the norm. The court cited that the Motor Vehicles Act is a welfare legislation and any decision should respect the fundamental rights of citizens, including the right to live with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The court dismissed the appeal filed by Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Limited, which had challenged the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal’s (MACT) 2020 decision to award the compensation. The judges ruled that there was no error or irregularity in the tribunal’s verdict, and therefore the order needed no interference.
Charu Khandal, aged 28 at the time of the accident in 2012, had been returning home from a celebration party organized after winning an award for her VFX work on the film “Ra.One.” The autorickshaw she was travelling in was hit by a speeding car, leaving her paralyzed. Despite battling for years, she passed away in 2017.
Following the accident, her family filed a compensation claim before the MACT in June 2014. In November 2020, the tribunal awarded them Rs 62 lakh, taking into account her age, earning capacity, and the circumstances surrounding the case.
The High Court reaffirmed the principle that while no amount of money can compensate for the loss of life, monetary support should be provided wherever feasible to address the damages suffered. The court emphasized that such compensation aligns with constitutional values and legal obligations under the Motor Vehicles Act.
