HYDERABAD: The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT), Hyderabad, has awarded compensation of Rs 1.4 crore to the family of a private engineering college professor who died after his two-wheeler was hit by a TGSRTC bus.
The victim, G Venkatesh Prasanna, was riding his scooty to a temple at Alkapuri around 7.45 am on March 6, 2022, when a bus mowed him down at Kothapet. He sustained grievous injuries and later died while undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Following the incident, the Chaitanyapuri police registered a case under Section 304-A of the Indian Penal Code against the bus driver, Shankari Buchi Babu Goud. A local court in Rangareddy district subsequently began trial proceedings in the case.
Meanwhile, the deceased’s family — his wife, son and daughter — filed a petition before the tribunal, alleging that Venkatesh Prasanna’s death was caused by the negligence of the TGSRTC.
In its counter, the TGSRTC denied any negligence on the part of its driver and instead blamed Venkatesh Prasanna for the accident.
Upholding the contention of the victim’s family, the tribunal observed in its order that since the accident was caused by the rash and negligent driving of Buchi Babu Goud, and as the bus was owned by the TGSRTC managing director and the Hayathnagar depot, all three respondents were jointly and severally liable to pay compensation to the petitioners.
The tribunal directed the respondents to jointly and severally pay a sum of `1,40,87,090 as compensation, along with interest at 9% per annum from the date of filing of the claim petition until the date of payment.