MADURAI: For over a decade, J Saroja of Alanthalai village in Thoothukudi has been running from pillar to post to get compensation for the death of her son, a person with disability, in a motor accident in 2009.
The wails of the 63-year-old woman echoed through the walls of the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Saturday, when her last hopes were shattered as the insurance company officials failed to turn up at the Lok adalat.
With tears streaming down her cheeks, she told The New Indian Express, "We came with the hope that the case would definitely be settled today but it was not even taken up as they (the company officials and standing counsel) didn't turn up."
The woman's daughter-in-law, Irudhayarani, who accompanied her to the Lok Adalat, added, "Considering our mother-in-law's old age and poor health, we borrowed money to arrange a car to attend the Lok Adalat by paying Rs 6,000. Now we are returning empty-handed. We did not receive any prior intimation that the company officials would not be there."
Frail and barely able to walk, Saroja said that she is not even sure if she would make it to the next Lok Adalat session or would be able to bear the expenses if the matter once again goes before the regular court.
Saroja’s son Nelicon Britto (25) died in an accident on the Thiruchendur - Kulasekarapattinam road in Thoothukudi in 2009. His father late Joseph Britto and mother Saroja, belonging to fishermen community, had filed a petition before the Thoothukudi court seeking Rs 10 lakh as compensation for their son's death.
However, the court passed an order in June 2011, directing the insurance company concerned to pay Rs 2.46 lakh as compensation. Aggrieved, the couple filed an appeal in 2012 and the case was referred to the Lok Adalat in March 2021.