In a significant ruling, the Andhra Pradesh High Court at Amaravati has enhanced the compensation payable to an 8-year-old accident victim, more than doubling the amount earlier granted by the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT), Kadapa. The boy, who suffered severe head and limb injuries in a 2019 road accident, had been left with long-term disabilities.
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Background
The case stems from an accident on 7 May 2019, when the child, then only five years old, was travelling home from the hospital with his mother and sibling in an auto-rickshaw. A speeding lorry, driven rashly on Kadapa roads, rammed into their vehicle. The impact left the boy critically injured, forcing his family to rush him from a government hospital in Railway Kodur to Apollo Children’s Hospital in Chennai after initial treatment in Tirupati.
Doctors at Apollo confirmed multiple fractures, severe brain damage, and bleeding in the brain. He remained in a coma for several days and underwent intensive care for weeks. Police booked the lorry driver under charges of rash and negligent driving. The family, struggling with mounting medical bills and the boy’s permanent disability, approached the MACT, which in 2021 awarded them ₹14.81 lakh compensation. Unsatisfied, they appealed before the High Court.
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Court’s Observations
Justice Challa Gunaranjan, who heard the appeal, dwelt extensively on the medical records and testimonies of doctors from Tirupati and Chennai. The Court noted that the tribunal had pegged the child’s functional disability at 40%, despite a government medical board certifying 75% permanent disability.
“The Tribunal’s decision to scale down the disability without proper reasoning is unsustainable. The certificate of disability issued by the medical board deserves full weight,” the bench observed.
The Court further criticised the Tribunal for undervaluing the boy’s loss of future income. Referring to Supreme Court rulings, Justice Gunaranjan explained that even though the child had no earnings at the time of the accident, the law permits notional income calculations based on minimum wages. Applying this principle and adding 40% for future prospects, the Court recalculated the boy’s loss of income to nearly ₹18.33 lakh.
On the question of non-pecuniary damages-such as pain, suffering, and loss of normal childhood-the Court enhanced the earlier amount of ₹1 lakh to ₹3 lakh. However, it refused to award separate damages towards marriage prospects, noting the absence of clear medical evidence that the boy’s disability would make family life impossible.
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Decision
In its final order, the High Court enhanced the total compensation to ₹33,14,664, more than double the Tribunal’s award. The insurance company was directed to deposit the enhanced amount within four weeks, with 7.5% annual interest from the date of filing the claim.
The ruling brings a measure of relief to the family, who had been fighting for a fair settlement for over six years.
Case: Chilla Kishore (Minor) vs. Muthuswamy Perumal & Others
Case Number: Motor Accident Civil Miscellaneous Appeal No. 112 of 2022
Date of Judgment: 26 September 2025