Compensation award to SCCL lineman upheld

Justice T Sunil Choudary of the High Court at Hyderabad on Wednesday dismissed an appeal filed by M/s Singareni Collieries Company Limited questioning compensation of Rs 4 lakh paid to the widow and children of a deceased lineman.

The deceased Arkati Rajaiah died in harness. His wife and children filed a petition contending that he had died in the course of employment and was therefore entitled to compensation under the Workman Compensation Act.

The management opposed the claim saying that there were five other workmen along with the deceased who did not suffer any accident and therefore it was not an accident and that the named employee suffered a heart attack.

The Commissioner under the Compensation Act awarded compensation of Rs 3.57 lakh. Rejecting the appeal against the said order the judge went into the question as to whether the victim died of a heart attack and declared that the applicants had established the proximate nexus between the cause of death and arduous nature of work being attended by the deceased.

“The deceased died out of and in the course of his employment,” the judge said. The judge further said the appeal was lacking in merits and bona fides.