Latest news with #Hakkim
Indian Express
31-07-2025
- Automotive
- Indian Express
SC finds driver who suddenly braked on highway primarily liable for 2017 accident, enhances compensation to victim
The Supreme Court said Tuesday that those driving on highways should give warning signals to vehicles behind them if they intend to stop midway, while holding a car driver, who had not done so, guilty of contributory negligence, which led to a motorcyclist losing his left leg in a road accident in Tamil Nadu in 2017. A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar made the remarks while enhancing the compensation payable to S Mohammed Hakkim, who was a third-year Engineering student in Coimbatore at the time of the accident. The accident happened on January 7, 2017, when Hakkim was riding on a motorcycle with his friend on the pillion. A car that was ahead of them suddenly applied the brakes, and Hakkim's motorcycle crashed into the car and fell towards the right side of the road. A bus drove over him, and his left leg had to be amputated during treatment. The top court held that Hakkim had a role in the accident by not maintaining the necessary distance, but held that the 'root cause of the accident is the sudden brakes applied by the car driver.' 'The car insurer has taken the stand that the appellant had hit the moving car from behind and thus, the car driver is not liable. On the other hand, the car driver admitted in his evidence that he had suddenly applied the brakes as his wife was pregnant and she had a vomiting sensation. In our view, the concurrent finding that the appellant was definitely negligent in not maintaining a sufficient distance from the vehicle moving ahead and driving the motorcycle without a valid license is correct,' the SC said in its judgment. 'But at the same time, it cannot be ignored that the root cause of the accident is the sudden brakes applied by the car driver. The explanation given by the car driver for suddenly stopping his car in the middle of a highway is not a reasonable explanation from any angle. On a highway, high speed of vehicles is expected, and if a driver intends to stop his vehicle, he has a responsibility to give a warning or signal to other vehicles moving behind on the road. In the present case, there is nothing on record to suggest that the car driver had taken any such precaution,' the court said. Liability for negligence The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) fixed the compensation at Rs 91.62 lakh, but reduced it to Rs 73.29 lakh after attributing 20 per cent contributory negligence to Hakkim. MACT ordered the insurer of the bus to pay the amount, while exonerating the car insurer of all liabilities. On appeal, the Madras High Court held that since the accident occurred due to the car driver suddenly applying the brakes, he should also be made liable. The high court fixed the liability of the car driver, the bus driver, and Hakkim as 40 per cent, 30 per cent, and 30 per cent, respectively. The court also reduced the compensation payable to the motorcyclist from Rs 73.29 lakh to Rs 58.53 lakh along with interest. The Supreme Court enhanced the compensation, and directed that Hakkim be paid Rs. 91.39 lakh along with interest at the rate of 7.5 per cent per annum from the date of filing of the claim petition. 'Since both the offending vehicles (car as well as the bus) were insured at the time of the accident, the liability for the negligence of the car driver and bus driver shall be borne by them, ie, respondent no. 3 (car insurer) to the extent of 50% and respondent no.1 (bus insurer) to the extent of 30%, respectively.' The court directed that the amount be paid to him within four weeks of the order.
New Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Names wrong in death certificates, kin petition Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital officials
MADURAI: The officials of Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) have received around 720 petitions in the last five months from kin of dead patients seeking correction of 'name' in the death certificate, stated an official record. Hakkim (55), a patient's kin, told TNIE, "My sister Bailuna was admitted to the GRH after she was found suffering from serious ailments since April 2025. During her treatment as her condition started getting worse, we found that her name was misspelt as 'Baiju' in the admission list. When I mentioned the wrong spelling to the local officials, they did not respond immediately. Later, after she passed away, her death certificate had the wrong spelling and did not match her Aadhaar details. This led to legal issues during property transfer and other instances." Dr S Saravanan, GRH Resident Medical Officer (RMO), said, "During admission, many family members and friends end up misspelling the patient's name due to tension, and they do not carry an Aadhaar card at that time. Later, they tend to forget to recheck it because they get busy with the treatment. In case of death, the name of the deceased is sent to the admin department with the wrong spelling and they send it to the city corporations' Birth and Death Registration section which is located within the hospital premises."
New Indian Express
30-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Loadman arrested in Coimbatore for forcing detergent into colleague's mouth after drunken brawl
COIMBATORE: A loadman, who stuffed detergent powder in his colleague's mouth while they were consuming alcohol, was arrested by the Podanur police on Wednesday. Reportedly, it was an act of revenge. The arrested person was identified as S Santhoshkumar (35) of Vellalore Housing Unit, on the outskirts of the city. Police sources said the complainant, S Hakkim (50) of Vellalore Housing Unit, and the accused worked as loadmen for many years. After they completed their work on Tuesday evening, Santhoshkumar called Hakkim to consume alcohol at a place near the housing unit. While they were consuming liquor, Santhoshkumar asked why Hakkim had informed the police about an incident a few months earlier, in which Santhoshkumar had assaulted a youth during a fight, leading to his arrest. The argument took a heated turn and Santhoshkumar assaulted Hakkim and stuffed detergent powder into Hakkim's mouth, saying take this as a side dish for liquor. Within a few minutes, Hakkim experienced a burning sensation in his throat and started bleeding from his mouth and lips due to the injuries. Hakkim escaped and went to the Government Medical College Hospital in Coimbatore, where he is currently undergoing treatment. 'Based on his complaint, police arrested Santhoshkumar on Wednesday night and lodged him in prison after registering a case against him under sections 296(b), 118(1), and 351(2) BNS," sources added.
