MAVELIKKARA: The Mavelikkara MACT Court Judge Kenneth George ordered to pay Rs 75 lakh to the family of Sashi Kumar, a Malayalam professor of NSS College in Changanassery, who was killed after hit by a private car carrying Dr M K Muneer while he was serving as a minister. The accident happened on May 18 in 2015. The private car carrying Muneer to Kozhikode from Thiruvananthapuram fatally knocked down Kumar when he was crossing NH 66 at Kayamkulam Kamalalayam junction at 11 pm, in his scooter.

The accident had triggered a controversy because Muneer used the white Range Rover registered in the name of a businessman.

The court accepted HDFC General Insurance Company's dispute that the private vehicle with the Kerala State Board and the red beacon light for the state minister's journey was hid in violation of the insurance contract. The court allowed the insurance company to get the compensation to be paid to Kumar’s family from the vehicle owner. However, the court did not accept the insurance company's demand that the state government, which was a party to the case, pay compensation for driving a private vehicle on behalf of the government. Advocate Sam Varghese appeared for the family of Kumar and advocate Oommen Thomas for the insurance company.