Liability of Statutory Bodies for Negligence Arising from Independent Contractors Under Article 226

The petitioners, the legal heirs of late Mr. Dinesh Kumar, sought compensation of Rs. 50,00,000/- for his death due to alleged negligence

On the night of 17/18 April 2019, the deceased fell into an open excavation/ditch dug by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) for pipeline repair on Main Hiran Kudna Road

He remained in the ditch overnight until discovered at 6:07 AM; he succumbed to his injuries on 27.04.2019

The DJB contended it was not liable as the work was outsourced to a third-party contractor who was responsible for safety and indemnity

DJB further alleged contributory negligence, claiming the deceased was blinded by truck headlights, and argued the petition was barred by a three-year delay

The court applied the principle that the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution includes the right to claim compensation for "Constitutional Torts" through public law remedies

It relied on Nilabati Behera v. State of Orissa and D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal to establish that state immunity does not apply to fundamental rights violations

The court applied the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur (the thing speaks for itself) from Shyam Sunder v. State of Rajasthan, allowing for an inference of negligence when facts are undisputed

Regarding vicarious liability for contractors, it followed Lakhan Singh v. DDA, which holds that statutory bodies cannot delegate their non-delegable duty of care to private contractors

For compensation, it applied the formula from Kamla Devi v. GNCTD, comprising "standard compensation" adjusted for inflation via CPI(IW) and "pecuniary compensation" using the multiplier method

The Court first condoned the two-year delay, noting the COVID-19 pandemic and the petitioners' bereavement

Applying res ipsa loquitur, the Court found the DJB's negligence manifest: a deep ditch was left on a public road directly in front of a DJB office without adequate safeguards, and the victim lay there unattended for hours

The Court rejected the "third-party contractor" defense, holding that the DJB’s statutory duty to ensure public safety is non-delegable; any inter-se indemnity contract does not affect the victim's right to claim against the State

The Court dismissed the claim of contributory negligence, stating that the primary duty to safeguard hazardous sites remains with the authority

It calculated pecuniary loss based on the deceased's salary (Rs. 16,770), applied a unit system for personal expenses (deducting 2/9ths), and used a multiplier of 16 as per the MV Act

Standard compensation was adjusted using the CPI(IW) linking factor of 4.63 to reflect 2019 values

It ruled that the contractor was not a necessary party, though DJB may seek recovery from them separately

The Court awarded a total rounded-off compensation of Rs. 30,00,000/-. After deducting the interim payment of Rs. 50,000/-, the respondents were directed to pay Rs. 29,50,000/- with 6% simple interest from the date of the accident until realization. Failure to pay within three months results in an increased interest rate of 10%

The Court concluded with observations urging the Executive to formulate a policy for the efficient disbursal of compensation to avoid prolonged litigation for vulnerable families