From road accidents to murder cases: The humane verdicts of deceased Jharkhand Judge Uttam Anand

On July 28, news of the death of District and Sessions Judge Uttam Anand after he was hit by a vehicle while on a morning walk shook the legal fraternity..Prior to his untimely demise, he headed the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Dhanbad, apart from handling cases on various other offences. Several of his recent verdicts reflected the judge’s humane side.On many occasions, his judgments took an empathetic view towards victims..A woman and her husband, while traveling on a motorcycle on the morning of November 17, 2016, were knocked down by a rashly-driven truck. Although the husband survived, the woman was declared dead on arrival at a local hospital..The woman left behind her two minor children. After calculating the compensation on the basis of her age and monthly income, Judge Kumar awarded Rs 41 lakh to the husband and the minor children..In another case, he directed the insurance company to compensate the kin of the deceased with Rs 68 lakh, taking into account the future interests of three children. The case pertained to the claimants - widow, son, daughters and parents - related to a man who had died in an accident in 2018..In another case, he directed the insurance company to compensate the kin of the deceased with Rs 68 lakh.Judge Anand also dealt with an accident case of a man who earned a monthly income of Rs 12,000 and had died after being hit by an auto-rickshaw. Here, the judge awarded the compensation after saying that the man’s widow and other family members were entitled to it..“Since the widow… claimant number 1 is an old lady of 51 years as in 2016, i.e., 56 years in 2021, it will be in the interest of justice to secure her future and hence it is ordered that 30 % of the total payable amount shall be kept by her in a fixed deposit in any nationalised bank for a period of 10 years which can be withdrawn prematurely only for purpose of her emergency medical needs,” he ordered..Dealing with a murder case of a woman killed by her husband, as an additional sessions judge, Judge Anand examined the evidence and witness statement before holding the husband guilty..He noted, “This gory incident has happened before the eyes of the three minor kids of the deceased. The crime was committed in total disdain and dastardly manner.” .The husband was accordingly awarded life term imprisonment..When it came to plight of the couple’s three minor children, the judge opined that the crime was not only in “total abdication” of the man’s responsibility towards his deceased wife, but he had also "shelved all responsibilities towards his three kids.”.Judge Anand underlined that the minor children had suffered loss and injury owing to the circumstances, calling them as “victims of crime”. Judge Kumar observed that the minors required rehabilitation and referred them to the Legal Services Authority, Dhanbad for grant of compensation in terms of Section 357A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), as per the Victim Compensation Scheme framed by the Government of Jharkhand..On Friday, the Supreme Court of India took suo motu cognisance of the issue of safeguarding courts and ensuring protection and security of judges in the wake of Judge Anand's death..The case was listed before a Bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and Justice Surya Kant which on Friday directed the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Jharkhand to submit a status report on the investigation into the judge's death within a week..[BREAKING] Supreme Court registers suo motu case on safety of judges after death of Jharkhand judge Uttam Anand.Earlier, Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan had taken suo motu cognizance of Anand's death and ordered a probe.