The Supreme Court held on Friday that the contributions made by a homemaker are difficult to quantify in monetary terms and that their contribution is invaluable.
A bench of Justice Suryan Kant and Justice KV Viswanathan held that tribunals and courts should calculate the notional income of homemakers based on their work, labour and sacrifices in cases of motor accident claims.
The court passed this order while hearing a motor accident appeal arising due to the unfortunate death of a woman from Uttarakhand in a road accident in 2006. The tribunal awarded only Rs 2.5 lakh as damages. The aggrieved family appealed to the Uttarakhand High Court for enhancement of compensation but it was dismissed in 2017.
An appeal was therefore filed before the Supreme Court which enhanced the compensation to Rs 6 lakhs to be paid to the family of the deceased woman within 6 weeks. The bench observed ”One should never underestimate the value of a homemaker.”
