Court orders Suprovat Paribahan bus owner and driver to pay Tk 10m to crash victim’s family

The victim died in the road crash six years ago

A Dhaka court has ordered the owner and driver of a Suprovat Paribahan bus to pay Tk 10 million in compensation to the family of a shopkeeper who was killed in an accident six years ago.

The bus owner, Nurul Islam, and its driver Sohag Mia will have to pay the sum to the family of Pintu Sheikh, said Dhaka District Additional Public Prosecutor Bimal Samaddar.

Dhaka's Senior District and Sessions Judge AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan, as the judge of the Claims Tribunal, gave the ruling on Tuesday but the news came to light a day later. Advocate Faizullah Titu represented the plaintiff in the case.

Pintu, 28, an employee of the Asian Electronics Shop, was on his way to work riding a bicycle when the accident occurred near a petrol pump at Malibagh Chowdhurypara in Dhaka on Sept 13, 2016.

In 2017, Pintu's family filed a case demanding compensation worth more than Tk 27.7 million.

The judge said people can die at any time, but every person deserves a natural death. The average age of death, including the natural mortality in the country, has greatly increased and in this case, the claim that the victim would have lived up to 65 years cannot be dismissed in any way, rather it is considered normal and common.

The judge also highlighted the reasons to set the compensation.

Pintu was working in a private company. In that case, his chances of working up to the age of 65 were considered appropriate and natural. As a result, he had the opportunity to serve for another 37 years. he observed.

According to the court, Pintu would have received a total of Tk 8.88 million by getting an average salary of Tk 20,000 per month if he had served for another 37 years, or 444 months. His relatives should also receive compensation for being deprived of his love and affection.

“Considering this, they will get a compensation of Tk 1.12 million. In this way, the heirs to the victim will receive a total compensation of Tk 10 million, combining Tk 8.88 million and Tk 1.12 million.”

Pintu was the sole breadwinner in his family, the court said. He was a resident of Dhaka’s Banglamotor and is survived by his wife, a daughter and a sister.

There have been more deaths from the same company bus in Dhaka. In 2019, a university student was killed when a bus of the company ran over him at Nadda near Baridhara. The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority then revoked the registration of the bus in the wake of student protests.