The
Supreme Court on Thursday recognised “loss of domestic care” as a separate head
of compensation in motor accident cases involving the death of a homemaker,
holding that the economic value of domestic and caregiving work performed by
women has long been undervalued.
To
address this gap, a Bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice NK Singh directed
that in cases involving the death of a homemaker, tribunals and courts should
award a composite sum under the new head of “loss of domestic care”. The amount
has been fixed at ?30,000 per month, subject to a cumulative 10 per cent
increase every three years.
The
Bench delivered the ruling while enhancing compensation in a 2001 accident case
from Haryana, where a homemaker died in a road accident.