Inquiry to find the responsible in Meenakshi episode: Mahesh Kumar Goud

The High Court of Karnataka There is no “straightjacket formula” in determining the rate of interest on compensation amount awarded in motor vehicle accident cases, said the High Court of Karnataka while rejecting an insurance company’s plea for reducing the rate of interest to 8% from the 9% awarded by a motor accident claims tribunal in a case of death caused due to road accident.“There cannot be any straitjacket formula in determining the rate of interest and that the same must depend on the facts and circumstances of each case. The guiding principle remains that the rate must neither be punitive nor non-existent but must strike a balance between fairness to the claimant and reasonableness to the insurer,” the court observed.Appeal dismissedJustice Tara Vitasta Ganju passed the order while dismissing an appeal filed by United India Insurance Co. Limited., questioning only the rate of interest awarded by the tribunal in 2018 on the compensation amount while disposing of a claim petition filed by a man, along with two children, for the death of his wife, a coolie, who had died when a van hit her while she was crossing a road in Bengaluru in November 2016.The insurance company had contended that tribunal should have imposed prevailing bank rate of interest or a maximum of 8% on the compensation amount of ₹16.57 lakh.No fixed interest rateThe Court said that Motor Vehicles Act does not prescribe a fixed interest rate but leaves it to the Tribunal’s discretion, requiring simple interest from the claim date, and the courts, from time to time have evolved interest rate to compensate for delayed payment of compensation.On analysing the rate of interest awarded in various accident cases that were affirmed by the apex court during past 5-10, Justice Ganju pointed out that the tribunals and the courts have been consistently been awarding interest at 9% from the date of accident on the compensation amount.“While bank rates may serve as a guiding factor, they are not determinative, and the discretion of the Court remains paramount. In addition, the Supreme Court has awarded/upheld the award of 9% per annum even in serious injury/death cases,” the High Court observed.The rate of interest 9% is more appropriate in case involving death and serious injury especially, where there is a long delay in the claimants receiving the compensation, the High Court said while pointing out that award of interest is usually determined on a case-to-case basis and at the rate which is just and fair and reasonable. Published - June 11, 2026 11:54 pm IST

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh (right), with his election certificate, shows a victory sign after being declared elected unopposed in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Council (Rajya Sabha) biennial election 2026 results, in Bhopal on June 11, 2026. Newly elected BJP MLCs Rajnish Agrawal (C) and Mahesh Kevat also present. | Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly Principal Secretary Arvind Sharma, who is also the returning officer for the election, issued election certificates to the three BJP candidates, prompting celebration in the BJP camp. The Election Commission of India (ECI), however, is yet to take a decision on the Congress’s petition challenging the returning officer’s decision to reject Ms. Natarajan’s nomination for allegedly not disclosing a case in Telangana’s Hyderabad in which she had received a notice as a respondent. ‘Seat theft’The Congress slammed the returning officer and the ruling BJP, accusing them of “seat theft”, while maintaining that Ms. Natarajan did not face any FIR or charges in the Telangana case and that she was thus not required to disclose it in the election affidavit. State Congress president Jitu Patwari said that the party MLAs from M.P. have sought time from President Droupadi Murmu on Friday to seek her intervention in the matter. Outgoing Rajya Sabha member and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh demanded Mr. Sharma’s dismissal, while terming the rejection “unconstitutional”. He is vacating a Rajya Sabha seat on June 21 which the Congress had hoped to fill by sending Ms. Natarajan to the Upper House. “Our worst fears have materialised. The Election Commission has failed to reach a decision. We urged the Supreme Court to deliver a verdict today, but that did not happen. By 4 p.m., the election results were declared. We vehemently oppose this act of theft and will expose it across the entire country. We will fight this battle to the very end and ensure that Meenakshi Natarajan makes it to the Rajya Sabha,” Mr. Singh said. Bias accusationsLeader of Opposition in the State Assembly Umang Singhar also slammed the Election Commission and accused it of bias in favour of the ruling party. “Given that the Election Commission has special powers to intervene and take decisions, why was no timely decision taken on the Congress party’s objection? Why is there such proactivity in matters concerning the BJP, yet silence regarding the Congress?” Mr. Singhar questioned, adding that the matter concerned the nation’s democratic process and electoral impartiality.“If the Election Commission disregards rules, laws, and Supreme Court guidelines, it is only natural for questions to be raised about its impartiality,” he said. Three Rajya Sabha seats from the State, currently held by Mr. Singh, Union Minister George Kurien, and BJP MP Sumer Singh Solanki, are falling vacant. Elections for these seats were set to be held on June 18. Close fight evadedThe BJP, which has 164 members in the 230-seat Assembly, had the numbers to comfortably win two seats and 48 MLAs to spare. The Congress, on the other hand, has 64 MLAs of which one is not eligible to vote due to conviction in a poll affidavit case, while another Congress MLA has unofficially sided with the BJP. This left the Opposition party with just enough numbers to secure one seat.The close contest for the third seat raised concerns of horse trading and possible cross-voting in the Congress camp. The party leadership had held meetings with its MLAs and was preparing to send them to Bengaluru in Karnataka, a Congress-ruled State.However, even before the first flight carrying Congress MLAs and their family members coul

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y. S. Sharmila. File | S. Sharmila on Wednesday (June 10, 2026) accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of working hand in glove with the BJP leadership “to trample upon the democratic values built over years”.From 'Vote Chori' to 'Seat Chori' ! 'The Election Commission of BJP' is now fully hand-in-glow with Modi @narendramodi & Co. to trample upon the democratic values built over years.The rejection of Ms. Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination is yet another example of how… pic.twitter.com/aBQbNShZZt— YS Sharmila (@realyssharmila) June 10, 2026In a post on X, Ms. Sharmila called the poll panel “The Election Commission of BJP” and said the rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination was “yet another example of how constitutional institutions are increasingly being bent to serve political interests”. “Such actions only reinforce concerns that independent bodies are being pressured to act in a manner that benefits the ruling dispensation, eroding public trust in the democratic process,” she said.“Democracy cannot survive without strong, independent institutions, and every attempt to undermine them must be challenged with resolve and conviction,” she said. She opened the post with the line, “From ‘Vote Chori’ to ‘Seat Chori’!” Published - June 11, 2026 12:53 pm IST