Court orders AI to hike Mangalore crash compensation to Rs 75 lakh

July 20, 2011

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Mangalore/Kochi, July 20: The families of victims of the Air India Express crash in Mangalore last year are entitled to a minimum compensation of Rs 75 lakh each, the Kerala High Court held today.

Justice P R Ramachandran Menon passed the order while allowing a petition filed by Abdul Salam and Ramla, parents of 24-year-old B Mohammed Rafi, who was killed in the crash.

158 passengers and crew on board the Air India aircraft from Dubai had perished in the worst air disaster in the last decade, when the plane caught fire after one of its wings hit a hillock at Kenjar in Mangalore.

The brothers and sisters of the deceased are also party to the petition. Union government and National Aviation company (erstwhile Air India) are the respondents in the case.

There were 166 persons on board the flight IX-892, piloted by a Serbian national. Operating the Boeing 737-800, the pilot had first tried to land and later attempted to gain altitude.

The court held that the carrier was liable to pay no fault liability of one lakh SDR (Special Drawing Rights equal to Rs 75 lakh) to the petitioner. The SDR is a special currency issued by IMF. This is apart from whatever other compensation the petitioners are entitled to.

The petitioners prayed for a direction to settle the entire statutory claims made under the provision of the Air Act 1972 from the respondents on the death of Rafi. They had sought Rs 1.5 crore as compensation.

Noting that India was a signatory to the Montreal Convention, the court said, "It is clear that the intention of lawmakers was to bring about a parity in the matter of payment of compensation to the passengers, irrespective of class of travel, while providing for a 'two tier system' of compensation as adopted in Montreal convention."

The "first limb" of compensation as stipulated under Rule 21(1) of the Third schedule was with the said intent to provide the same as the "minimum compensation" payable in respect of death or the bodily injuries subject to the satisfaction of extent of damage, the court said.

"Since the extent of damage to any injury cannot be anything more than death", no further proof is necessary to have sanctioned the minimum compensation of "Rs one lakh SDR" in the case of death and this is the mandate of the Statute, it held.

The court said it was of the "firm belief" that Mohammed Rafi, who lost his life like the several others, was not liable to be discriminated by the respondents, restricting the compensation with reference to his age, income or the dependency of the members of the family.

The petitioners were entitled to have a "minimum of one lakh SDR" as compensation payable under the Statute based on the Montreal Convention treating the matter as "no fault liability" which can in no case be "absolved or limited by the carrier under any circumstances", it said.

About Rs 20 lakh has already been paid to the petitioners and the rest should be paid in a month's time, it added.

The petitioners said the deceased, working in UAE was returning home to Kumbala in Kasaragod in the ill-fated flight.

They said that the National Aviation Company Ltd, put forth an "unconscionable" demand, allegedly at the instance of their insurers, to come to a settlement for a total sum of Rs 35 lakh in full and final settlement.

Against this, the petitioners approached the High Court seeking a declaration and enforcement of their rights, referring to the mandate of the Montreal Convention.

The air crash was solely on account of lapse on the part of the pilot and in turn the sheer negligence of the National Aviation Company, they said.

The company filed a counter stating that the matter has to be dealt with as per the provision of the Carriage by Air Act 1972, as amended by Montreal Convention of 1999 to the exclusion of all other laws in force in India.

Referring to the fact that the deceased was aged 24 and was "employed as salesman in a supermarket, earning a salary of 2000 AED (RS 25,000 per month)", the maximum compensation was contended as much below Rs 35 lakh and accordingly the amount was offered as compensation payable in "full and final settlement", which was unacceptable to the petitioners.

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News Network
October 21,2024

Mangaluru: The MLC by-election for the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Local Authorities Constituency commenced at 8 AM on Monday, with voting set to continue until 4 PM. A total of 392 polling booths have been established across the two districts, which form the constituency.

The constituency has 6,032 eligible voters, including 3,127 women. Early reports indicated brisk voting at the Mangaluru City Corporation polling booth, where corporators were seen patiently standing in line in the morning.

In a unique moment, Sharath, a gram panchayat member from Kokkada, cast his vote at Kokkada Gram Panchayat before heading to his wedding ceremony.

The constituency features 53 sensitive polling booths. Eligible voters include members of gram panchayats, corporators from Mangaluru City Corporation, city and town municipal councils, town panchayats, MLAs, MLCs, and Lok Sabha members representing the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

Notably, Byndoor MLA Gururaj Gantihole and MLC Prathap Simha Nayak, who do not represent local bodies, were left out of the voters' list. According to electoral rules, only those MLAs, MLCs, and MPs who represent city corporations, municipalities, town panchayats, taluk panchayats, or zilla panchayats are granted voting rights in the MLC elections for the Local Authorities’ Constituency.

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News Network
October 29,2024

Bengaluru: Following allegations by a section of farmers from Vijayapura district that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, Karnataka Chief Minister Sidddaramaiah on Tuesday said none of them will be evicted, and notices issued to them will be withdrawn.

"No farmer will be evicted from their land. Yesterday Revenue Minister (Krishna Byre Gowda), M B Patil (Industries and Vijayapura district in-charge Minister) and Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan have jointly said that no farmer from Vijayapura will be evicted from their land," Siddaramaiah said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said in case notices have been issued to farmers, they will be withdrawn.

Responding to a question that similar notices have been issued to farmers in Yadgir and Dharwad districts too, the CM said: "I will ask the Revenue Minister to look into it, nowhere farmers will be evicted."

Seeking to clarify "confusion" over 1,200 acres in Honavada of Tikota taluk being marked as Waqf property, M B Patil had recently said it was due to an “error” in the gazette notification.

He also had said only 11 acres out of the 1,200 acres are Waqf properties, and a task force headed by the Deputy Commissioner will be formed to resolve the issues.

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October 21,2024

leopard.jpg

Mangaluru: Forest officials successfully captured a leopard that strayed into the kitchen of a house in Akkasaligara Keri, Mulki, on the outskirts of Mangaluru, during the early hours of Sunday, October 20.

Following multiple complaints from residents about leopard sightings, forest department officials had placed cages at various locations in Mulki. According to Deputy RFO Manjunath Ganiga, locals had reported spotting a leopard in the area, prompting the department to set up a cage about a kilometer from the affected house.

At approximately 10 p.m., the leopard entered the house and made its way into the kitchen. The family quickly locked the kitchen door and contacted the forest department for assistance. The forest officials, using a cage and a net, managed to trap the leopard around 2:45 a.m. The animal was later examined by veterinarians and released back into the wild.

Locals suspect that up to three leopards may be roaming the area.

The operation to capture the leopard was led by RFO Kiran Kumar, with assistance from Deputy RFOs Nagesh Billava and Manjunath Ganiga, along with forest department staff members Chandrashekar and Shankar.

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