Five years after daughter’s death,court gives family compensation

Shirish Shinde,advocate for the Gandhis said that the judgement has brought some relief to the family,especially since Valiramani was acquitted by the criminal case for the same case in January last year.

In June 2003,Madhu,then 21,stepped out at about 5 pm,after the first burst of rains,when an earthern flowerpot fell on her head. “Valiramani had kept five-six earthern flower pots on a slope in a common area,and they were supported by a string. Because of the rains and the wind,one of the pots fell on Madhu. But these pots should not have been there at all in the first place. The society should have prevented this,” said Shinde.

In its ruling,the court said that the projection wall of the ventilator has a slope from inside to outside. “Nothing can be kept on the wall of the ventilator. The defendant had kept the earthen flowerpots on the unsafe and dangerous projection wall of the ventilator.”

Six months after Madhu’s death,the family moved out of the flat. The family had asked for a compensation of Rs 5 lakh on the grounds that Madhu was a teacher in a primary school,who also took tuitions.