BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court imposed cost of Rs 25,000 on Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) while castigating it for filing an appeal against compensation of Rs 1.10 crore awarded by the tribunal to the family of a person killed in an accident, by taking a “misleading stand” before court.
The appeal was filed by KKRTC on the ground that negligence was on the part of the deceased, by suppressing the fact that the driver, a contract employee, was removed from the job and annual increment was withheld for the conductor permanently as punishment, after charges of rash and negligent driving were proved against them in the departmental inquiry.
Dismissing the recent appeal with a direction to recover costs imposed from officials responsible for authorising and pursuing the litigation after conducting an internal inquiry, a division bench of Justice Suraj Govindaraj and Justice Dr Chillakur Sumalatha directed the KKRTC MD to issue appropriate administrative circulars mandating full disclosure of all material facts, including disciplinary proceedings.
The court noted that the conduct of KKRTC in filing the present appeal, despite having passed removal orders against the driver and withholding one annual increment of the conductor permanently as punishment on July 5, 2023, and May 23, 2024, respectively, raises serious concerns.
The appeal was filed challenging the order dated March 14, 2025, passed by the Motor Accident Claim Tribunal, Kalaburagi, which awarded compensation of Rs 1.10 crore with 6 per cent interest per annum to Sunita, wife of deceased Vinod Kumar Mane (43) and his legal heirs, on their claim of Rs 3 crore as the deceased was working as FDA in the Revenue department, and drawing a salary of Rs 65,574 per month. Vinod lost his life due to negligent driving on June 20, 2023.