The Karnataka High Court has laid down a method for determining damages for the death of minors in road accidents

The Court subsequently established a standard method for determining the amount of compensation to be paid to the parents of minor deceased victims in such cases.

In a detailed judgment handed down last month, the Justice Department ruled NS Sanjay Gowda said courts and tribunals should consider this “future dependence” – a principle according to which a parent may not be dependent on his child at the time of the accident, but is likely to become dependent at a later stage or at an older age.

Accordingly, the Court also prescribed a method to calculate a “just now” amount of compensation in such cases.

This method involves taking an average of the amounts calculated using the multiplication method and the lump sum method.

While the former uses a notional basic income, adds the inflation rate and deducts a third for personal expenses, the latter is used in awarding accident compensation under the Railways Act.