Karnataka High Court awards ₹2.77 crore to paraplegic man
The Karnataka High Court has directed the Greater Bengaluru Authority to pay ₹2.77 crore to a man who became paraplegic after a tree branch fell on him in 2024. The court found the civic authority negligent after a school had warned it that the branch was dangerous.
The Karnataka High Court has directed the Greater Bengaluru Authority to pay ₹2.77 crore to a 39-year-old man who became paraplegic after a tree branch fell on him in 2024. Justice Suraj Govindaraj held that the civic authority failed to act promptly after a private school warned that a branch extending over a public road was dangerous. Chandan G.
was walking to work on March 7, 2024, when the branch from a Gulmohar tree inside Good Shepherd Convent School fell on his neck. He suffered serious spinal injuries and was left with 85 per cent medical disability. The school had written to the erstwhile BBMP on February 16 seeking permission to remove the branch, saying it could break and endanger children, residents and vehicles.
The civic body argued that permission to prune the branch had been granted on the day of the accident. The court noted that the permission letter had no timestamp and rejected the defence that the incident was an act of God. The court assessed total compensation at ₹2.82 crore, including medical, future-care, rehabilitation, lost-earning and pain-and-suffering costs.
After earlier payments, it ordered the GBA to transfer ₹2.77 crore within 12 weeks, with six per cent interest. The court left open whether the authority could recover part of the liability from the school.
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