New Delhi:
A Delhi court has awarded compensation of over Rs.22 lakh to the parents of a young state-level judo champion, who had died in a road accident, observing they have been "deprived of the company of their 22-year-old son".
Additional District Judge Reetesh Singh awarded compensation of Rs.22.77 lakh to the parents of Harender Kumar, saying the deceased was a proficient sportsperson and could have been employed as a physical education teacher.
"Having achieved so much in the arena of sports, especially in the discipline of judo, it can be presumed that the deceased could have been employed as a physical education teacher in Delhi," the judge said.
Harender died in a road accident in August 2008 while crossing the Wazirabad main road along with one of his friends. He was hit by a car being driven in a rash and negligent manner. He was rushed to the nearby hospital but he succumbed to his injuries a day later.
Apart from being a proficient sportsperson obtaining third position in the Delhi state Judo Championship, the victim was pursuing an engineering course and was earning around Rs.7,000 per month by giving tuitions.
The insurance company tried to escape its liability by contending that the driver of the offending vehicle was not holding valid driving license and the accident had occurred due to the negligence of the deceased. The court, however, relied on testimony of victim's friend, who was the eye-witness of the case, saying that there was nothing to question his deposition in the case.