JUDGMENT

Dr. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.—

1.Leave granted.

2.Challenge in this appeal is to the order passed by a Division bench of the Madras High Court dismissing the appeal under Section 173 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (in short the ‘Act’) filed by the appellant-Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Corporation’).

3.One Sathyabalan (hereinafter referred to as the ‘deceased’) was the driver of the appellant-Corporation and was traveling in the Corporation bus. The vehicle met with an accident, the driver of the bus tried to avoid collision with a lorry, dashed against the bridge. The wall of the bridge broke and the bus capsized and fell into the river and the deceased who was -sitting in the front seat got buried in the sand and died. The respondent i.e. the widow of the deceased, his minor daughter and his parents filed a claim petition before the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, Maylladutturai, (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Tribunal’) claiming compensation of Rs. 15,00,000/-. In the claim petition, it was indicated that the monthly salary of the deceased was Rs.6,040 / - and he had agricultural income and was aged about 37 years.

4.The appellant-