Court awards ₹1crore in 2015 Rajasthan road fatality case, rejects 'planned murder' theory

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal in Ahmedabad has ruled in favour of the kin of a 28-year-old businessman Jitendra Chauhan, who tragically died in a road accident in Pali, Rajasthan, in 2015. The court awarded a total compensation of ₹99,63,924 to the deceased's wife and extended family, while also granting ₹4,48,707 to Rajesh Yadav, who survived the crash with grievous injuries.

The incident occurred on October 27, 2015, near the IG Petrol Pump on National Highway 62. Chauhan was travelling from Ahmedabad to Rajasthan for business in a car driven by his friend Narendra Meena. According to court records, a truck driving on the wrong side of the road collided head-on with their vehicle. Both Jitendra and the driver died on the spot.

A significant portion of the trial focused on a sensational claim by the deceased’s father’s side who alleged that the crash was not an accident but a "pre-planned murder" involving a conspiracy. They presented a report from a private Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) expert to support their theory.

The court noted that, the private FSL report was prepared long after the police charge sheet and lacked official authorisation from the court or police. An eyewitness (the injured Rajesh Yadav) testified that the truck was indeed driving on the wrong side. A Rajasthan tribunal had already passed an award for the car driver's death, treating it as a road accident.

The tribunal calculated Jitendra's monthly income at approximately ₹51,890 based on Income Tax Returns from his aluminum fabrication business.

The court ordered Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co Ltd. to pay the amount with 9% annual interest from the date of filing. The widow of deceased, is set to receive 70% of the death claim, with the remaining 30% distributed among Jitendra's other legal heirs.