A ₹14,000 monthly notional income for a deceased in 2020 was reasonable and warranted no interference.

The claimants sought compensation for the death of Chinnasamy, who died in a collision between his motorcycle and a lorry on 1 October 2020.

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal found the lorry driver negligent, fixed Chinnasamy’s notional monthly income at ₹14,000, and awarded total compensation of ₹28,92,400.

The insurer appealed under Section 173 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, primarily challenging the quantum of compensation.

The High Court also noted that the Tribunal had not awarded future prospects or loss of love and affection to certain claimants, but the claimants had not appealed the award.

1. Whether the Tribunal’s award, including its assessment of the deceased’s notional monthly income at ₹14,000, warranted interference in the insurer’s appeal.

2. Whether the omitted heads of future prospects and loss of love and affection could be addressed when the claimants had not appealed the award.

The appeal was brought under Section 173 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which provides for an appeal against a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal award.

The Court applied no cited precedent or elaborated statutory test for reassessing compensation.

It considered whether the Tribunal’s income assessment warranted interference and noted that the claimants had not appealed the award, although certain compensation heads had not been granted.

The Court accepted the Tribunal’s assessment of ₹14,000 per month as a reasonable notional income for the deceased in 2020, finding no reason to interfere with it.

Although the award did not include future prospects or loss of love and affection for respondents 1, 3 and 4, the claimants had not appealed; the Court therefore did not disturb the award on those grounds.

It made no order as to costs and closed the connected miscellaneous petition.