CHENNAI: A division bench of the Madras High Court has appealed to the motorists ‘with folded hands’ to be very careful while driving, as lives of not only their own, but also other innocent people and their families, are in their hands.
The bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and R Pongiappan made the earnest appeal while enhancing the compensation to the family members of a mason, who was killed in a road accident in December 2012.
The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal in Krishnagiri awarded a compensation of Rs 18.80 lakh to the wife and four children. The last one, a female child, was in the mother’s womb at the time of accident.
The judges wondered as to whether it is a sin to be born as a daughter to a woman, who lost her husband in a road accident, due to the negligence of a third party? Given the conservative nature of the society, the answer is in the affirmative as the child, who was an unborn child at the time of the accident, could not even see her father’s face, as he passed away when she was in her mother’s womb, thereby casting a stigma on her, even before her arrival in this world. She was not only born fatherless but with a stigma that she, in a way, is responsible for her father’s death, as the conservative society would always try to find out a scapegoat to fix the blame for an ill-fated tragedy that happens in the life of someone.
“We cannot blame either God or nature and it is only a man-made accident, which took away the precious life. When the father died in the accident, it was not known at that time that his wife had conceived as the minor girl was born after 9 months after the death.
“Any child has got an inalienable right to have mother’s love and affection and father’s care and guidance and it is unfortunate that the child has been deprived of that. The mental agony and suffering, which the child would undergo on seeing other children in the company of their father, is really unimaginable,” the judges observed and enhanced the compensation by Rs 7 lakh on various counts.
HC directs temple EO to file sworn affidavit, questions inaction against HR&CE official
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the executive officer of Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple in Mylapore to file an affidavit stating that no videos of the temple Kumbhabhishekam conducted in 2014, are available. Four months after the High Court dismissed the anticipatory bail application of HR&CE Additional Commissioner N Thirumagal, primarily based on the evidence found in the video recording of the Kumbhabhishekham, the department on Friday told the special bench of Justices R Mahadevan and P D Audikesavalu that the function was never videographed.
“The Kumbhabhishekham conducted in 2004 was not videographed and we do not have copies of any such recording,” counsel for the temple executive officer (EO) told the judges on Friday. Directing the EO to make his submission in the form of a sworn affidavit, the bench also wanted to know as to why no action had been taken against Thirumagal, even though it had rejected her bail application four months ago.