Ranchi, August 28, 2026: The Jharkhand High Court has enhanced the compensation payable to the family of a woman who died in a road accident in 2008, raising the amount from ₹1.45 lakh to ₹5.60 lakh. The court has also directed the insurance company to pay 6% annual interest on the enhanced compensation.
The order was passed on Thursday by a single bench headed by Chief Justice M.S. Sonak in the case relating to the death of Koshmi Devi.
The insurance company had challenged the compensation order, citing a discrepancy in the registration number of the vehicle involved in the accident. The vehicle was recorded as HR-13A-3349 in the FIR, while the charge sheet mentioned JH-13A-3349.
The High Court held that the technical discrepancy in the vehicle number alone could not absolve the insurance company of its liability. The court considered the statements of witnesses and the charge sheet sufficient to establish the involvement of the concerned vehicle in the accident.
High Court revises deceased woman’s age for compensation
The tribunal had calculated the compensation by considering Koshmi Devi’s age as 70 years. The High Court, after examining the available evidence, determined her age to be 55 years at the time of the accident.
The court relied on the statement of her son, who had stated that his mother was around 55 years old when the accident occurred.
For calculating the compensation, the court considered her monthly income to be ₹3,000. It added 10% towards future income prospects and applied a multiplier of 11 before recalculating the compensation.
Five sons awarded filial consortium
The High Court also awarded compensation to the deceased woman’s five sons under Loss of Filial Consortium.
Each son was awarded ₹40,000, taking the total under this head to ₹2 lakh. The court additionally fixed ₹15,000 each towards Loss of Estate and funeral expenses.
After the revised calculation, the total compensation came to ₹5,56,700. The court rounded the amount off to ₹5.60 lakh.
The insurance company has been directed to pay the enhanced compensation along with interest at the rate of 6% per annum, as ordered by the court.
