2016 Hit-and-run-case: 8 years after man's death, Family gets Rs 1.98 crore compensation

NEW DELHI: After 8 years of the death of 32-year-old Sidharth Sharma, his parents received a compensation of around Rs 2 crore. He was hit by a car driven in a negligent manner by a minor in Civil Lines area in April 2016. This case was highlighted as a Mercedes hit-and-run case. Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT) Judge Pankaj Sharma held that the death of Siddharth Sharma was caused by the offending vehicle driven in a rash and negligent manner by the minor on April 4, 2016.

The Tribunal said, "In fact, the father, Manoj Aggarwal, willfully cultivated the illegal behaviour of his minor son by ignoring his act at the cost of other road users. He failed to realise, even from his past acts, that allowing his minor son to drive can be disastrous to other road users. Instead of preventing his minor son from driving a Mercedes, he chose to ignore the same, which implies tacit consent on his part. The very fact that at the time of the accident he was at home was all the more reason to stop his son from taking the car from the home for a joy ride." The Tribunal has directed the insurance company to pay compensation totaling around Rs 1.98 crore (compensation plus interest) within 30 days. However, the court has granted the insurance company the liberty to recover the compensation amount from the father's company. The offending vehicle was registered in the name of the company. The Court, along with other facts, also considered that at the time of death Siddharth was withdrawing a monthly salary of Rs 25000 in January 2015. He was pursuing higher studies. He got an offer of a job with a salary of Rs 10 lakh per year. In this matter, Delhi Police filed a Detailed Accident Report (DAR) stating that vehicle was driven by the minor at a very high speed. Car hit Siddharth and was thrown 15-20 feets in the air. He died due to fatal injuries. The entire incident was captured in the CCTV. Delhi police had invoked section 304 of IPC.