People Lying on Footpath Helpless, Not Careless

July 29, 2026

This accident occurred in October 2015, but unfortunately, even after 11 years, the plight of the common man has not improved. The incident we are talking about occurred at Delhi’s Madipur Metro Station in October 2015. Some people were sleeping on the roadside footpath. At around 4:30 a.m., a speeding truck crushed four of these people. The case then came before the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, which determined compensation. However, Justice Anish Dayal of the Delhi High Court overturned the tribunal’s decision to reduce the compensation amount by half for the two victims. However, the decision took 11 years, with the date after date being rescinded. The Delhi High Court again increased the compensation amount awarded to the families of the victims of the Delhi accident, rescinding the order to reduce the compensation. The Delhi High Court stated that people sleep on footpaths not because of negligence but because of financial constraints. The tribunal halved the compensation amount in its final decision, which is wrong. The judge stated that if a pedestrian is forced to use the footpath to walk, stand, or rest, he cannot be expected to expect a vehicle to leave the road and enter the footpath. The court clearly stated that the fault lies with the driver and the negligence of the person who left the road and entered the footpath, not with the person who was forced to sleep on the footpath. In its laudable decision, the court stated that it is a reality of this country that many people are homeless, work all night, or are forced to travel to distant construction sites. They have no place to sleep. Such people sleep on the sidewalk, believing it might be safer or more comfortable. How could they possibly have anticipated a vehicle driving onto the sidewalk and crushing them? Therefore, it is absolutely wrong to reduce the compensation for such people by labeling them careless. There are many other wrongs being committed. The Mir-e-Caravan and policymakers of this society are also wrong, who, even after so many years of independence, have failed to provide them with even a small shelter, and to this day, countless people have to live on these sidewalks under the open sky. Will this worry ever end