Bengaluru Metro pillar case: HC notice to K'taka govt, BMRCL on plea seeking Rs 10 cr compensation

The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday issued notices to the state government, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and others on a petition filed by a man, who lost his wife and minor child in the Namma Metro pillar collapse incident here earlier this year, seeking compensation.

Petitioner Lohitkumar V Sulakhe filed a writ petition demanding a compensation of Rs 10 crore, claiming that the accident had occurred due to the negligence of BMRCL authorities.

Petitioner’s wife Tejaswini L Sulakhe (26) and his two and a half year old son Vihan, who were travelling on a bike died after the under-construction metro pillar fell on them on January 10, 2023 near Nagavara.

The BMRCL had communicated to Lohitkumar that Rs 20 lakh compensation would be provided to the kin of the victims.

In his petition, which was heard by Justice Krishna S Dixit, Lohitkumar submitted that “mere compensation of Rs 20 lakh amount was not sufficient for the innocent life which was lost due to inaction, inadequate safety measures and carelessness on part of the respondents.” Tejaswini, a software engineer, was earning Rs.75,748 per month, it said.

The petitioner further said that the compensation “is not adequate, and the same is just a mere compensation to hide the negligence of their part of safety work and the fact that all the respondents present in this case lacked knowledge on safety precautions and how all the respondents were careless and ignorant about the safety measures and due to which two innocent lives were lost.” Noting that Tejaswini was the breadwinner in the family, which had recently moved into a flat purchased on loan, the petition sought a compensation of Rs 10 crore for the victim’s family.

The court adjourned the case after issuing the notices to the respondents to file their objections.

The other respondents in the petition include the MD, Chief Engineer and Operation Engineer of BMRCL, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, MD of Nagarjuna Construction Company and its project manager.