Motor accident compensation must apply 2017 chart income and include earnings lost during the laid-up period.

On 5 October 2017, the appellant, while riding a motorcycle, was involved in a collision with a tractor and sustained injuries resulting in a 10% disability to his right lower limb

The Tribunal awarded compensation of ₹4,37,597 with interest at 6% per annum

The claimant appealed under Section 173(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, seeking enhancement, principally on the assessment of income, disability-related loss, and other heads of compensation

Whether the Tribunal correctly assessed the claimant’s income and compensation for loss of future earning capacity.

Whether compensation for laid-up-period income, loss of amenities, conveyance, food and nourishment, and future medical expenses required enhancement.

The appeal was brought under Section 173(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which provides for an appeal against an award of a Claims Tribunal

In reassessing compensation, the Court applied the Karnataka notional-income chart for an accident occurring in 2017, adopting monthly income of ₹11,000

It calculated future loss of earning capacity using the multiplier of 17 and the assessed 10% disability, and assessed three months’ income for the laid-up period

The Court held that, given the 2017 accident, the Tribunal should have used the chart-based monthly income of ₹11,000 rather than ₹8,000.

Applying the multiplier of 17 and 10% disability, it recalculated future loss of earning capacity at ₹2,24,400

Because the Tribunal had not separately compensated the claimant for earnings lost during recovery, the Court allowed three months’ income, amounting to ₹33,000.

It also increased compensation for conveyance, food and nourishment, future medical expenses, and loss of amenities by ₹20,000 under each head, while leaving the remaining heads unchanged

The Court enhanced the total award to ₹5,91,797, an increase of ₹1,54,200 over the Tribunal’s award

The enhanced sum carries interest at 6% per annum from the date of the appeal until realization, and the insurer was directed to deposit it within six weeks of receiving the certified judgment