Married Daughter Not Entitled to Compensation Unless Financial Dependency is Proven: Supreme Court

 

In a significant judgment, the Supreme Court of India has ruled that a married daughter is not automatically entitled to compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act unless she can establish financial dependency on the deceased.

The ruling came in a case involving a road accident claim from Rajasthan, where a 55-year-old woman died in a road accident. The deceased’s married daughter had sought compensation as a dependent, along with the woman’s elderly parents.

The Court, however, clarified that while elderly parents are presumed to be financially dependent on their children (similar to minors being dependent on guardians), the same assumption cannot be applied to a married daughter unless proven otherwise.

 

Key Observations from the Bench:

• The Supreme Court emphasized that dependency must be fact-based, not assumed.
• In the absence of evidence showing financial reliance on the deceased, a married daughter cannot claim compensation.
• The Court also upheld that aging parents have the right to seek compensation, recognizing their dependence for care and financial support.
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The appeal arose from a 2018 Rajasthan High Court judgment which had granted compensation of ₹15,97,000 to the father and ₹12,22,356 to the married daughter of the deceased. The insurance company had challenged the decision, and the Supreme Court has now set aside the daughter’s compensation, while allowing the father’s portion.

 

This judgment is expected to have wider implications for claims under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, especially in defining the parameters for dependents seeking accident compensation.