![\"HC](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-47529300,imgsize-110164,width-400,height-225,resizemode-75\/47529300.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNew Delhi:<\/span> Delhi High Court<\/a> has increased the compensation awarded to the kin of two deceased engineering students, noting that both were meritorious and had bright career prospects ahead of them when they died in an accident in Feb 2017.Vinay Khurana, a fourth-year engineering student at Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology, and Prabhleen Kaur, a third-year student, died when their car, driven by a mutual friend, crashed into a railing divider. It was alleged that the car was being driven at a high speed and in a rash manner.A tribunal had granted Rs 38.50 lakh and Rs 83.86 lakh, respectively, to the kin of Kaur and Khurana but the high court highlighted that the deceased were bright and meritorious students who were studying at a premium engineering college after scoring good marks in the JEE examination. It awarded over Rs 1 crore to the kin of Khurana and over Rs 84 lakh to the kin of Kaur.Keeping in mind Khurana\u2019s job offer from a govt firm and Kaur\u2019s paid internship at a pharmaceutical company, the court reached the compensation amounts.\u201cConsidering that Khurana was running a CGPA of 8.0 (72.61%) and was a meritorious student, the court does not find any reason why he potentially would not have qualified for the job. The acceptance letter has also been perused by the court,\u201d the high court said, adding that Khurana had agreed to report for duty at the govt firm. \u201cThere is no reason why this appointment cannot be considered as crystallising the potential income,\u201d Justice Anish Dayal said.Regarding Kaur, the court said she was a bright and meritorious, and an all-rounder. It said the benchmark of about Rs.80,000, which Khurana would have been given by a govt company,\u201c could be considered to reach an estimate in case of Prabhleen Kaur as well. Considering her educational background, an amount of Rs.60,000 per month would be a useful approximation sans any proof being given.\u201d \u2018The court also factored in that she was earning Rs 20,000 per month from an internship, adding there was \u201cno reason why a proper employment would not have garnered at least Rs.60,000 per month.\u201dThe high court was hearing an appeal by the kin of the dead students who had pleaded for a better compensation. Senior advocate Sumeet Verma<\/a> appeared for both the families.\u201cConsidering the long pendency, it would be appropriate that the interest applicable on the original compensation awarded by the tribunal shall continue to be 9% per annum. It is clarified that the interest of 6.75% per annum shall be applicable only on the enhanced compensation,\u201d it said.<\/div>\n