To compensate the relatives of a man who died after falling into a pit on a public road, the Madras High Court invokes  no fault liability principle to award them 5 lakh.

In a recent case (N Annamalai v. The Union of India), the Madras High Court granted a 5 lakh rupee settlement to the family of a man who died after plunging into a pit built on a road for government construction work.

After noting that the deceased had been riding his two-wheeler on a public road when he fell into a trench created by a contractor hired by the government, Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court invoked the concept of “no fault liability” in a decision rendered on January 3.

The petitioner was also given permission by the court to bring a civil lawsuit in order to increase the compensation sum if he wishes. 

This news is written by Ms. Amrita Singh, Research Assistant, All India Legal Forum.