Supreme Court Orders Swift Action on Accident Victim Compensation Delays

The Supreme Court expressed concern over delayed compensations to road accident victims despite tribunal orders. Directives include submitting detailed personal and financial information when filing claims. A dashboard and massive outreach are proposed to trace unclaimed compensations. State authorities must assist and report compliance within four months.

In a significant move addressing the plight of road accident victims, the Supreme Court on Tuesday highlighted the troubling issue of delayed compensations despite clear orders from Motor Accident Claims Tribunals (MACTs).

The bench, consisting of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, issued several directives emphasizing the need for comprehensive documentation when filing claims under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. This includes providing precise personal and financial information such as Aadhaar, PAN, and bank details.

With large sums remaining unclaimed in tribunal and labor court deposits, the court stressed the creation of a dashboard to track compensations and demanded active participation from state governments to trace entitled claimants, with compliance reporting required within four months.

(With inputs from agencies.)