Delhi HC orders DDA to pay Rs 20 lakh for Ghazipur drain deaths

The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the DDA to pay Rs 20 lakh as compensation to the legal heirs of the mother-son duo who died after falling into a waterlogged open drain here in July. The counsel for the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) initially said it was ready to give Rs 15 lakh as compensation to the victims' family but a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan nudged it to pay Rs 20 lakh instead as it was the "norm". "Counsel for the DDA said without prejudice to its rights and contentions and without admitting any liability on its part, as a humanitarian gesture, it is willing to pay Rs 20 lakh to the legal heirs of the deceased, namely Tanuja and Priyansh," recorded the bench, also comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, in the order. The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) plea filed by Jhunnu Lal Srivastava, a resident of Mayur Vihar Phase 3, for action against the contractor and DDA officials for their alleged negligence that led to the death of the woman and her three-year-old son.