Stale Justice: Tribunal Rejects 12-Year-Old Accident Claim

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal in Maharashtra dismissed a compensation plea for a 2004 road accident, calling it 'stale' after a 12-year delay. The tribunal cited lack of evidence and found that negligence was on the part of the motorcycle rider, not the car driver, as initially alleged.

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Maharashtra's Thane recently rejected a compensation plea related to a road accident in 2004, labeling it 'stale' due to a 12-year delay between the incident and the filing of the petition.

The tribunal's order, issued on December 11, highlighted critical evidentiary gaps, including the absence of a post-mortem report to establish a direct cause of death. The tribunal noted that the police reports initially implicated the motorcycle rider in the collision, contradicting the claimants' assertion of the car driver's negligence.

The tribunal dismissed the case filed by Dashrath Shelar and his wife, seeking Rs 25 lakh for their son Ravindra's death, concluding that evidence did not support their allegations of rash driving against the car driver. The ruling emphasized the importance of timely and well-documented claims.

(With inputs from agencies.)