Homemakers 'nation builders,' their work worth minimum ₹30,000/month: SC
What's the story
The Supreme Court has held that unpaid domestic work by homemakers should be valued at a minimum of ₹30,000 per month while calculating compensation for their deaths in road accidents. The court emphasized that homemakers should be recognized as "nation builders." The ruling was pronounced by Justices Sanjay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh in an appeal related to a motor accident claim in Punjab.
Legal efficiency
'The homemaker builds nation'
"We are also of the view that the housewife contributes to the growth of the human being and the nation. The homemaker builds nation. So we....have quantified the amount that the loss of domestic care monthly income minimum in any event would be 30,000 per month," Justice Karol said.
The bench stressed that the loss of domestic care incurred by a family as a result of a homemaker's death deserves independent recognition when assessing compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act.
Case background
Case dates back to 2001 road accident
The ruling came in an appeal arising from a 2001 motor accident claim in Punjab, where a woman named Reshma was killed. Her husband and three children sought compensation from the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, which granted them ₹2.42 lakh.
Although they were awarded compensation in 2003, the case continued to be litigated for years.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court finally decided on their appeal in December 2024.
The high court enhanced the compensation to ₹8.43 lakh.
SC
SC expresses concern over delays in deciding appeals
Still not satisfied, the claimants approached the top court
The Supreme Court expressed concern about such delays, saying that vehicle accident compensation claims should typically be resolved within a year. "Such cases should be decided within a year," the bench stated.
The SC enhanced compensation from ₹8.4 lakh to ₹63 lakh, with a 7.5% interest rate since 2001, saying the economy and stability of a house were wholly dependent on the woman.
Legal evolution
Court's ruling builds on previous judgments
The Supreme Court's ruling builds on earlier precedents where the court recognized the economic value of homemakers' contributions.
In cases like Kirti v/s Oriental Insurance Co Ltd (2021) and Arun Kumar Agrawal v/s National Insurance Co Ltd (2010), it had warned against treating homemakers' services as valueless just because they don't earn a formal salary.