New Delhi, June 11: In a landmark judgment recognising the economic and social value of unpaid domestic work, the Supreme Court on Thursday described homemakers as “nation builders” and directed that a separate compensation component titled “loss of domestic care” be awarded in motor accident cases involving their death.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N. Kotiswar Singh enhanced compensation payable to the family of a woman who died in a road accident in Haryana in 2001, raising it from Rs 8.43 lakh to Rs 62.77 lakh, and laid down guidelines for assessing compensation in cases involving homemakers.
Allowing an appeal filed by the legal heirs of the deceased woman, the apex court held that the contribution of a homemaker extends far beyond conventional monetary measures and has long been undervalued in compensation jurisprudence.
Observing that the role of a homemaker is foundational to families and society, the top court remarked: “The ‘homemakers’, to put it directly, actually are the ‘nation builders’ and they ought to be recognised as such.”
The case arose from a motor accident on November 25, 2001, in which a woman lost her life while travelling from Sirsa to Fatehabad. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal had awarded Rs 2.42 lakh in compensation in 2003, which was later enhanced by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to Rs 8.43 lakh in December 2024.
Still dissatisfied, the claimants approached the Supreme Court seeking further enhancement. (IANS)
