Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has a message for Indian citizens: follow the rules because you should, not because someone made you.
The court delivered that observation on Wednesday while hearing an appeal over compensation in a road accident case a Thane man with Parkinson’s disease and partial paralysis who was knocked down by a municipal bus in November 2012 and died from his injuries in March 2013. The tribunal had awarded his family Rs 13 lakh. The High Court raised that to Rs 15 lakh. But Justice Jitendra Jain didn’t stop at the numbers.
Indians abroad vs Indians at home
The judge pointed to something most people quietly know but rarely say out loud Indians follow traffic rules religiously when they’re in another country, then abandon those habits the moment they’re back home. “I do not see any reason why we should not follow the rules and regulations of our country while we return and are staying in India. There cannot be any justification for not following the same,” the court said.
Parents, children, and what gets passed down
The court also turned its attention to families. Adults who break rules in front of children shouldn’t be surprised when those children grow up doing the same. “It is the moral duty and obligation of the elders and the parents to follow rules… so that the children learn these basic civic sense… It is rightly said children quickly adopt what they observe,” the bench remarked.
Pedestrians and riders both called out
The court didn’t let pedestrians off the hook either noting that ignoring signals while crossing roads contributes directly to accidents. Two-wheeler riders got a special mention for routine violations. The court acknowledged that traffic police are doing their job, but said stricter enforcement is still needed.
How the court read the accident itself
The case had a complicated question at its centre: how much of what happened was the victim’s fault?
The court noted that given his condition Parkinson’s disease and partial paralysis the deceased should have had someone assist him while crossing a busy road. That counted as contributory negligence. At the same time, the court found the bus driver equally culpable. “The driver should have slowed down after seeing a person limping to cross the road,” the bench said. Both sides shared blame. The compensation was raised accordingly from Rs 13 lakh to Rs 15 lakh.
